Suspected hooligan ringleader in hospital after harming himself
One of the main suspects in the hooligan clashes that resulted in the death of a police officer in Athens in December was rushed to hospital on Saturday after what is thought to have been a suicide attempt.
According to state broadcaster ERT, the 31-year-old suspect started harming himself after hearing that he was being remanded into pretrial custody following his testimony to an investigative magistrate earlier in the day.
The 31-year-old is among 67 suspects who have been taken into custody and are being questioned over the incidents that led to the fatal injury of police officer Giorgos Lyngeridis during clashes during a volleyball match between archrivals Olympiakos and Panathinaikos in the suburb of Rentis, near Piraeus.
He is also thought to have been one of the ringleaders of the gang of dozens of hooligans involved in the clashes.
ERT reported that he was taken to the capital’s Sotiria Hospital, where doctors confirmed that his injuries were not life-threatening.
Of the first batch of 67 suspects arrested, 24 had been questioned by Saturday evening and four were remanded.
Lyngeridis, also 31, was hit in the leg with a naval flare in the December 7 clashes, succumbing to his injuries a few weeks later.
Police have already arrested an 18-year-old who is believed to have fired the flare and are now looking into the roles of other individuals involved in the incident.
