“Tabula rasa” among hooligans
Police fear derby revenge after brutal attack
03/09/2023 1:39 p.m
The hooligan attack on Schalke fans almost three weeks ago caused a stir. After raids, 19 suspects are now identified. The police are concerned about the district derby. NRW Interior Minister Reul praises the blow against the hooligan scene.
After the brutal attack on supporters of the Bundesliga soccer club FC Schalke 04 almost three weeks ago, the police identified 19 suspects in raids in several NRW cities. “There were 25 searches. We have 19 suspects in mind. We painstakingly determined who it was and have now made a home visit to them,” said North Rhine-Westphalia Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU). The Gelsenkirchen police wrote of 27 searched objects.
Schalke 04 found out about the raids through media reports and a police report, said a club spokesman on Thursday. “In view of what we read and saw there, we are quite surprised by the extent of the operation. When asked, the club was informed that the Essen public prosecutor’s office was in charge of the proceedings, and a basic request for talks from the club with reference to the ongoing measures and the preliminary investigation have been rejected for the time being.”
“Up to 200 coordinated attackers”
According to more recent information from the Ministry of the Interior, “up to 200 coordinated attackers” attacked Schalke fans in Gelsenkirchen at dawn during the February 19 attack. Schalke just wanted to travel by coach to the away game at 1. FC Union Berlin. Four people were seriously injured. It is believed that the attackers were Dortmund and Essen football fans. “I think it’s huge that we’ve made a clean sweep in this area of the hooligan scene,” Reul praised the police’s efforts.
The police are investigating trespassing and dangerous bodily harm. In view of the outbreak of violence, the investigators are concerned about the district derby between Schalke 04 and Borussia Dortmund this Saturday. It cannot be ruled out that the attack on the Schalke Ultras “results in a reaction,” the police said. The derby between Schalke and Dortmund is considered a high-risk game anyway. Schalke fundamentally reject any form of violence, the club emphasized on Thursday. “Accordingly, it is our great wish that the derby on Saturday runs peacefully.”
The 25 searched objects were mainly in Essen and Dortmund, but also in Schwelm, Bergheim, Gladbeck, Beelen, Bottrop and Gelsenkirchen. One of the objects searched was the Ultras Gelsenkirchen clubhouse, said a police spokesman in Gelsenkirchen on Thursday on request.