Filenews 4 April 2023
Three people appeared before the Dhekelia Court after their arrest for causing harm by using explosives in the match of Ethnikos Achna against Othello Athienou on Saturday afternoon.
The detainees, aged 18, 16 and 15, were identified by the SBA Police from security cameras and after being arrested at their homes in Dasaki Achna, they were detained in the evening.
During the match, according to the British Bases, these individuals were seen by CCTV hiding behind a wall and throwing explosive devices at fans in the 85th minute of the match while the Achna team was winning 2-1.
The blast injured a 15-year-old and the vice-president of Othello, who were taken to hospital for first aid.
The 15-year-old had bleeding on his forehead and Othello's vice-president had been hit in the leg by shrapnel in the blast.
The three arrested, after a hearing, were given bail of €500 per person and curfew from 7pm to 7am.
Dhekelia Assistant Police Commissioner Panicos Panayi welcomed the use of technology to aid arrest and said this sent a warning to would-be hooligans. "I am very pleased with the way this operation was carried out. We at BB Police simply will not tolerate this kind of behaviour at football matches and I am glad that we were able to identify the individuals responsible within hours and arrest them."
After the incident, two fans of Othello are going to give a statement to the BB Police about the explosives that were thrown. Violence at football matches across Cyprus remains a concern for those responsible and according to Dhekelia Assistant Police Commissioner, the Police will work closely with football clubs and the Cyprus Football Federation to ensure that people remain safe at matches. "This has to be a collective approach. We take violence in football very seriously and will be meeting with club representatives in the coming days and talking to the CFA to discuss how best to deal with this situation in the future in order to keep people safe."
The three people will appear again before the BB court on May 4 to answer the charges they face.
