Participation of the leaders and other members of the criminal organization that was dismantled for the bloody incidents in Rentis and the police murder, in 14 other cases of sports violence was determined by the preliminary investigation of the police.
According to the official announcement of ELAS, one of these cases took place in Ioannina.
Specifically, on December 21, 2022, before the start of a football match in Ioannina, five people removed the home team’s banner from the stand and burned it. At the same time, other people were breaking seats and throwing them at police forces. Three members of the organization were identified for the said attacks.
The announcement in detail
The Sub-Directorate for Combating Violence in Sports Venues of the Attica Security Directorate has completed the investigation in the context of which the activity of a criminal organization was determined, the members of which committed criminal acts with a sports background, including the attack on police officers of the Greek Army. .T. on December 7, 2023 in Rentis, resulting in the death of Chief Constable Georgios Lyggeridis.
In order to end their action, a police operation was organized and carried out on Monday, April 22, 2024, under the code name “DAMOCLIOS SPATHI”, in the context of which 63 members of the organization were arrested, which in total consists of -160- people, who are charged with – as the case may be – criminal organization, intentional homicide, dangerous bodily harm, disturbing the peace, explosion, robbery, extortion, arson, theft, damage to foreign property and offenses related to explosives, flares, flares, weapons in conjunction with sports law.
In the context of the investigations, an additional -4- people were arrested who are accused of violating the laws on drugs, on weapons and on flares and sparklers.
The investigation, which has been conducted in strict secrecy for the last -4- months, began immediately after the attack on Rentis and from its development it was established that this was not an isolated incident, but it emerged that it was committed by team fans, who since at least 2019 they had formed an operationally structured and continuously active criminal organization, with the purpose of committing felonies and misdemeanors against police officers and opposing fans.
This conclusion was the result of a thorough and in-depth investigation, in the context of which pre-investigative evidence and data, special investigative techniques and procedural tools were used, while a key role was played by the assistance of the scientific staff of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, who were invited to examine and carry out comparative examinations in a multitude of evidence and findings.
In this context, the role of each and the way they operated in the criminal attacks for which they are accused was precisely demonstrated.
In particular, the narrow core of the criminal organization was made up of -8- individuals who also had a leadership role, even being characterized as “big”, since they had the universal and unquestionable acceptance and obedience of the junior members, aged 16 to 24, who were called “little” and constituted the striking force when carrying out attacks.
To recruit the “little ones” into the organization, the leading members provided them with free admission to the stadium while also giving them tips. They became members of the organization only if they had participated in at least one criminal act. In fact, such was their desire to rise to the esteem of the “big ones”, who were particularly violent and always willing to participate in attacks against police or opposing fans.
The activity of the criminal organization is located mainly in Attica and, as the case may be, in areas of the province such as Volos and Ioannina, committing crimes with a sporting background or on the occasion of sporting events. The motivation of its members is mainly fan-based, as an expression of dissatisfaction with unfavorable match results or as a means of intimidation and a show of force against fans of other teams or police who take orderly measures at matches. In fact, leading members enjoyed special treatment as having SLO credentials they moved freely in all areas of the stadium, organizing with voices and characteristic hand movements of the “little ones” to enter the playing field to cause incidents and attack the police forces.
However, there were also financial benefits for some of the organization’s members associated with their action. These members, in order to have full control over the rest, received invitations for free entry, which they then either distributed for free in order to recruit new members, or sold them outside the stadiums of the team they supported at a higher price than listed. In this way they controlled the entrance of people to gates by “disabling” this possibility from the general public while at the same time they were indirectly financed by those who provided them with tickets and invitations. They also demanded and received sums of money of 20 or 50 euros from the canteens operating around the stadiums, while in case of refusal to pay the corresponding fee, they caused damages.
Finally, it emerged that some of the members of the criminal organization are linked to working relationships both with the group and with another Agency, where they worked without going to work, until after the incident in Rentis when they were now asked to go normally for work otherwise apply for leave. Typical is the case of a leading member who worked in a sports association of the team he supports, but the employment relationship with it was terminated on the day of the events in Rentis.
In fact, the loyalty they had among them is remarkable, as when the leadership of the criminal group was threatened by other competitors, they attacked them with particular ferocity.
The planning and selection of the goals of the criminal organization was done exclusively by the -8- leaders, who also played an important role during the executive stage, with a physical and guiding presence in almost all of their illegal actions. The younger members did not proceed with any action without the order or approval of the “big ones”, as was evident from the attack on police officers on December 7, 2023 in Rentis, resulting in the death of police officer Georgios Lyggeridis.
In this case, the involvement of -141- members of the criminal organization who acted with a specific plan was established, from the preparatory stage through the supply, manufacture and transport of “munitions” to the stadium until its execution, with specific orders from leading members but even on the spot change in the timing of the attack, ordered by the 40-year-old undisputed leader of the organization and chief of a particular port.
In more detail, in the afternoon hours of 7/12/2023 -34- members of the criminal organization, including -2- leaders gathered outside a football stadium where they remained for an hour loading cars with naval flares, hand flares and improvised explosive devices. Among the people who were there was the minor who was later arrested for the homicide, who, together with his relative and another person, after a relevant order, went to a gas station to get gas. Another person did the same voluntarily, while in total they were provided with -10- half-liter bottles of gasoline.
Afterwards, a leading member handed to -10- members about -10- dynamite in order to build Improvised Explosive Devices, an action which they continued even after their arrival at the stadium where the match would be held, while they also had naval flares in their possession.
In fact, some members used rented vehicles to get to the stadium, so that it became difficult to locate them.
Initially, the plan was for the attack on the police to take place at the end of the match, but this was changed with the intervention of the 40-year-old leader of the organization, so it took place at the end of the first set and after their target had been identified and given the relevant signal.
Every member of the organization that took part in the fierce attacks was well aware of the plan, and on that day they had taken care not to dress in the colors of the team they support, but the vast majority wore black clothes and during the attacks they were covered their facial features with full face and half face hoods as well as disposable masks.
The order was given by the two leading members of the criminal organization, who were marching ahead of the rest towards the platoon, whose policemen were brutally attacked resulting in the serious injury and subsequent death of Chief Constable Georgios Lyggeridis and the injury of one more.
The police managed to repel the people, the majority of whom entered the stadium where they burned part of their clothing in the toilets of the stadium while some of them, outside the stadium, threw part of their clothing or changed their clothes with other active fans, so that to make the work of the police as difficult as possible and to make their possible identification impossible.
From the overall preliminary investigation, the involvement of the leaders and other members in attacks either against police forces or against opposing fans in another -14- cases was determined.
