18-year-old hooligan confesses to attack against police officer in Rentis
An 18-year-old man confessed on Sunday to the assault against a 31-year-old police officer that occurred on Thursday night during a volleyball match between local rivals Olympiakos and Panathinaikos in Rentis, Piraeus.
The police officer is currently in critical condition at the General State Hospital of Nikaia.
The suspect, a resident of Ilion in western Attica, is an organized fan of Olympiakos. He was detained along with 423 other suspects on Thursday following violent clashes with riot police stationed outside the stadium.
According to the 18-year-old’s confession, fans were instructed to leave the stadium and initiate an attack against the riot police. An older fan handed a flare to the young man, demonstrating how to activate it. The young man threw the flare and observed it hitting the ground, after which he noticed an officer kneeling. He then re-entered the volleyball stadium and was detained with the rest of the suspects, as reported by Kathimerini.
State broadcaster ERT reported that the 18-year-old’s father mentioned that had he been aware of his son’s involvement, he would have provided testimony to shed light on the incident and potentially mitigate the sentence.
He stated that if his son is indeed the perpetrator, he has “ruined his life,” emphasizing that his son is very young and is currently “in school to become a plumber. I do not think he would do such a thing,” he added.
