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06-14-2006, 03:00 PM
German, Polish hooligans arrested
DORTMUND, Germany (AP) -- At least 120 German hooligans were arrested Wednesday after clashing with police before a World Cup game between Germany and Poland, authorities said.
Police spotted a crowd of people known to be hardcore hooligans in a central square and surrounded them, according to spokesman Georg Blaszyk. When the officers moved in, he said, the fans began throwing bottles and shooting fireworks as they fought police in riot gear.
At least one fan was seen receiving treatment for facial cuts.
The clash was about 2 miles from the stadium, where German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Polish President Lech Kaczynski watched a game laden with symbolism given Germany's World War II invasion of its neighbor.
In a separate incident, German hooligans also attacked police near the jumbo screen that shows soccer games in the 32-team tournament. No other details were immediately available.
For much of the day, German police had been working with their Polish counterparts to identify and arrest Polish hooligans from the throngs massing for the match between the neighboring countries. At least 60 Poles were arrested and did not offer resistance, police said.
That operation started early and included four men found to have knives near the stadium, police said.
"Our Polish spotters identified them as their troublemakers from back home," Dortmund police spokeswoman Saskia Schneider said.
Under German law, people can be held up to 48 hours if police think they may commit a crime.
The threat of hooliganism has been a security theme at the tournament. A recent spate of violence in Poland raised fears of violence from the country's fans, though there were few reported disturbances after their team's 2-0 loss to Ecuador last week.
Last week, German police increased checks on the Polish border. A special train taking several hundred Polish fans to Dortmund also carried Polish and German police, said Rafal Wasiak, the spokesman for Polish police working in Germany.
DORTMUND, Germany (AP) -- At least 120 German hooligans were arrested Wednesday after clashing with police before a World Cup game between Germany and Poland, authorities said.
Police spotted a crowd of people known to be hardcore hooligans in a central square and surrounded them, according to spokesman Georg Blaszyk. When the officers moved in, he said, the fans began throwing bottles and shooting fireworks as they fought police in riot gear.
At least one fan was seen receiving treatment for facial cuts.
The clash was about 2 miles from the stadium, where German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Polish President Lech Kaczynski watched a game laden with symbolism given Germany's World War II invasion of its neighbor.
In a separate incident, German hooligans also attacked police near the jumbo screen that shows soccer games in the 32-team tournament. No other details were immediately available.
For much of the day, German police had been working with their Polish counterparts to identify and arrest Polish hooligans from the throngs massing for the match between the neighboring countries. At least 60 Poles were arrested and did not offer resistance, police said.
That operation started early and included four men found to have knives near the stadium, police said.
"Our Polish spotters identified them as their troublemakers from back home," Dortmund police spokeswoman Saskia Schneider said.
Under German law, people can be held up to 48 hours if police think they may commit a crime.
The threat of hooliganism has been a security theme at the tournament. A recent spate of violence in Poland raised fears of violence from the country's fans, though there were few reported disturbances after their team's 2-0 loss to Ecuador last week.
Last week, German police increased checks on the Polish border. A special train taking several hundred Polish fans to Dortmund also carried Polish and German police, said Rafal Wasiak, the spokesman for Polish police working in Germany.