Six Russian football hooligans arrested in Germany over assault

BERLIN // Six Russian hooligans arriving from southern France have been arrested in Germany after beating and kicking Spanish tourists, injuring one of them seriously.

The suspects, aged 26 to 30, were making a stop at the western city of Cologne after leaving Marseille, where the worst football violence in years erupted last Saturday between Russian and English football thugs.

German police on Friday said the men acted in an “extremely aggressive and brutal manner” towards three Spanish nationals — two tourists and their guide on Thursday.

The Russians “beat and kicked” their victims, leaving one seriously wounded, police said, without giving details on what sparked the attack.

Police managed to arrest five assailants on site, but one got away. The sixth was subsequently arrested at Cologne-Bonn airport, where the suspects had been due to board a flight.

The men had European Championship tickets for two Russian matches against England and Slovakia, and were carrying “typical objects used by hooligans including masks and gumshields”.

German police said they will contact their French colleagues to determine if the men had been involved in the fan violence that had plagued Euro 2016 in France.

A French court on Thursday jailed three Russian football supporters over Euro 2016 fan unrest while a far-right Russian agitator was thrown out of the country.

* Agence France-Presse