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The dismantling of the criminal organisation, involved in the attack against police officers in Renti, resulting in the death of Sergeant Georgios Liggeridis, was officially announced by the Greek Police, completing the relevant operation, code-named “DAMOKLEOS SPATHI”.
The operation revealed that its 160 members, at least since 2019, have been engaging in criminal acts with a sports background, while 63 members of the organisation, as well as 4 other individuals, were arrested in an extensive police operation.
Also, it is noted that the core of the criminal organisation consisted of 8 people, who also had a leading role, while its action – in 14 more criminal acts with a sports background – is mainly located in Attica as well as in Volos and Ioannina.
The announcement in detail:
The Sub-Directorate for Combating Violence in Sports Areas of the Attica Security Directorate has concluded an investigation which uncovered the activities of a criminal organisation involved in sports-related criminal acts. This includes the attack against police officers on December 7, 2023, in Renti, which resulted in the death of Sergeant Georgios Liggeridis.
In order to end their action, a police operation was organised and implemented on Monday 22 April 2024, under the code name “DAMOKLEOS SPATHI”, in the context of which 63 members of the organisation were arrested, consisting of a total of 160 people, who are accused of criminal organisation, manslaughter with intent, dangerous bodily harm, disturbing the peace, explosion, robbery, extortion, arson, theft, damage to foreign property and for offences relating to explosives, flares, fireworks, firearms, weapons in connection with the legislation on sport.
In the course of the investigations, an additional -4- persons were arrested and charged with violation of the laws on drugs , on weapons and on flares and fireworks.
The investigation, which was carried out in complete secrecy for the past -4- months, began immediately after the attack in Rentis and its development revealed that this was not an isolated incident, but it turned out that it was committed by fans of a group, who at least since 2019 had formed an operationally structured and continuously active criminal organisation, with the aim of committing felonies and misdemeanors against police officers and rival fans.
This conclusion was the result of a thorough and in-depth investigation, in the context of which preliminary evidence and data, special investigative techniques and procedural means were used, while the assistance of the scientific staff of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations played a key role, who were called to examine and conduct comparative examinations on a number of evidence and findings.
In this context, the role of each of them and the manner in which they operated in the criminal attacks for which they are accused was precisely demonstrated.
In particular, the core of the criminal organisation was made up of 8 individuals who played a leading role and were described as ‘big players’, since they had the universal and unquestionable acceptance and obedience of the junior members, aged between 16 and 24, who were called ‘little’ and were the main force in carrying out attacks.
In order to recruit the ‘little ones’ into the organisation, the leading members provided them with free entry to the stadium and gave them tips. They only became members of the organisation if they had participated in at least one criminal act. In fact, such was their desire to rise to prominence among the ‘big boys’ that they were particularly violent and always willing to participate in attacks on police officers or rival fans.
The action of the criminal organisation was mainly concentrated in Attica and occasionally in provincial areas such as Volos and Ioannina, committing crimes with a sporting background or on the occasion of sporting events.
The motives of its members are mainly fan-related, as an expression of dissatisfaction with unfavourable match results or as a means of intimidation and a show of force against fans of other teams or police officers who take law and order measures at matches. In fact, leading members enjoyed special treatment as they held accreditations and moved freely throughout the stadium, organising with shouting and distinctive hand gestures the “little ones” to enter the pitch to cause incidents and attack police forces.
However, there were also financial benefits for some of the members of the organisation linked to their actions. These members, in order to have full control over the others, 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 price above the advertised price.
In this way they controlled the entry of people at gates by ‘turning off’ this facility from the general public while being indirectly funded by those who provided them with tickets and invitations. They also demanded and received from the canteens operating around the perimeter of the stadiums sums of 20 or 50 euros, and in the event of refusal to pay the corresponding fee, they would cause damage.
Finally, it emerged that some of the members of the criminal organisation were linked to working relationships with both the group and another body (i.e. the municipality of Piraeus), where they worked without going to work, except after the incident in Rentis when they were asked to go to work normally or else apply for leave. A typical case is that of a leading member who was working in a sports club of the team he supports, but whose employment relationship with the club was terminated on the day of the Renti incident.
Indeed, the loyalty between them is remarkable, as when the leadership of the criminal group was threatened by other rivals, they attacked them with particular vigour.
The planning and selection of the criminal organisation’s objectives was carried out exclusively by the -8- leading members, who also played an important role during the executive stage, with a physical and guiding presence in almost all their illegal actions.
The junior members did not proceed to any action without the order or approval of the “big ones”, as was evident from the attack against police officers on December 7, 2023 in Renti, resulting in the death of the policeman Georgios Liggeridis.
In this case, the involvement of -141- members of the criminal organisation was discerned who acted with a specific plan, from the preparatory stage through the supply, construction and transport of “ammunition” in the stadium to the execution of this, with specific orders from leading members and even on the spot change in the timing of the attack, on the orders of the 40-year-old undisputed leader of the organisation and leader of a specific port.
In more detail, in the evening hours of 7/12/2023 -34- members of the criminal organisation, including -2- leaders gathered outside a football stadium where they stayed for an hour loading cars with naval flares, hand-held flares and improvised explosive devices. Among the people there was the subsequently arrested juvenile homicide suspect, who, together with a relative and another person, went to a gas station to obtain gasoline, following an order to do so. Another person did the same on his own initiative, and a total of -10- half-litre bottles of petrol were supplied.
Subsequently, a leading member handed over to -10- members about -10- dynamite in order to construct Improvised Explosive Devices, which they continued to do after arriving at the stadium where the match was to be held, and they also had in their possession naval flares.
Some members even used rental vehicles to get to the stadium, making it difficult to locate them.
Initially the plan was to attack the police officers at the end of the match, but this was changed with the intervention of the 40-year-old leader of the organisation, so it took place at the end of the first set and after their target had been identified and the signal given.
Every member of the organisation involved in the violent attacks was well aware of the plan, and on that day they had made sure that they did not wear clothing similar to the colours of the group they supported, but the vast majority wore black clothing and during the attacks they covered their facial features with full face and half face hoods and disposable masks.
The order was given by the two leading members of the criminal organisation, who were marching ahead of the others in the direction of the platoon, whose police officers were brutally attacked, resulting in the serious injury and subsequent death of Sergeant Georgios Liggeridis and the injury of another.
The police officers managed to repel the individuals, the majority of whom entered the stadium where they burned part of their clothing in the stadium toilets while some of them, outside the stadium, discarded part of their clothing or exchanged their clothes with other offending fans in order to make the work of the police officers as difficult as possible and to make it impossible to identify them.
From the overall preliminary investigation it was established that the leading and other members were involved – on occasion – in attacks either against police forces or against rival supporters in a further -14- cases:
– On 18-02-2019, in an area of Attica, -4- members of the organisation attacked a female supporter of another group, beating her with a knife in order to rob her.
– On 02-12-2021, in an area of Attica, a member of the organisation together with three other people, moving with a vehicle, immobilised and stabbed a food distributor, who was wearing a cap of another group, which they removed. In fact, during the preliminary investigation and while the vehicle used in the attack was located, the perpetrator, together with another member, attempted to bribe the victim not to disclose information to the police authorities.
– On 12-12-2021, outside a football stadium in Attica, before the start of a match, individuals attacked police forces, while a leading member of the organisation fired a naval flare which landed on a police officer’s shield. He also threatened police officers by showing them a knife he was carrying, while another member threw stones at them.
– On 13-12-2021, about 70 people, with masked features, attacked police officers with stones, Molotov cocktails and flares in an area of central Athens. As it turned out, the attack was organised by -2- leading members of the organisation.
– On 06-10-2022, before the start of a football match, European competition, in Attica, at a railway station near the stadium, -50- persons attacked police forces with stones, marbles, iron railings, bottles, direct fire flares, etc. Also, during the match, persons left the stadium at regular intervals and continued to attack the police. At the same time, inside the stadium, police officers repelled other persons who attempted to approach the visiting fans, but were violently attacked. A total of -6- police officers were injured. It emerged that -9- members of the organisation were involved in the attacks.
– On 05-12-2022, before the start of a basketball match in Attica, -250- people on a street near the stadium attacked police officers with objects, stones and direct fire flares. Investigations revealed the involvement of -2- members of the organisation.
– On 21-12-2022, before the start of a football match in Ioannina, -5- persons removed a banner of the home team from the stands and burned it. At the same time, other people broke seats and threw them at police forces. -3- members of the organisation were identified for these attacks.
– On 29-01-2023, before the start of a football match in Attica, and while fans of the visiting team were heading to the stadium by bus, -50- persons attacked with flares and stones, causing damage to the buses. As it turned out, 11 members of the organisation were involved in the attack. At the same time, people with their faces covered entered the stadium and attacked fans of the other team with flares and firecrackers. Police officers attempting to remove them were similarly attacked, while official clothing and helmets were damaged by a direct fire flare. Investigations revealed the involvement of -2- members of the organisation.
– On 23-04-2023, after the end of a football match in Attica, fans attacked the visiting team’s delegation with objects. Police officers who attempted to maintain order were violently attacked by approximately -250- people with seats, iron poles, direct fire flares, etc. The attacks caused damage to official equipment and -4- police officers were injured. Investigations revealed the involvement of -7- members of the organisation.
– On 26-04-2023, before the start of a European basketball match in Attica, -5- persons with covered features and poles carried out a motorcade with the final destination being the stadium. During this, in an area of the centre of Athens, they spotted -2- persons wearing scarves with insignia of another team and beat them. During their march, they attacked policemen of the MI.A.S. Group with a direct fire flare. The investigations identified -2 members of the organisation.
– On 06-07-2023, -60- persons belonging to a group’s association, moving from an area of West Attica with 12 private cars and -5- motorcycles, went to an area of Northern Suburbs, attempting to arrange “appointments” with fans of another group, without succeeding. They were then noticed by -8- fans of another group who tried to attack them, but the driver of the vehicle hit one of them with a knife. -6- members of the organisation were identified.
– On 24-08-2023, before the start of a football match, European competition, in Attica, about -250- persons, having covered features, attacked police officers who were carrying out law and order measures, with stones, direct fireworks, firecrackers and bottles, while they set fire to bins and placed them as barricades.
-3- police officers were injured in the attacks. As it turned out, -8- members of the organisation were involved in the attack.
– On 25-09-2023, in an area of West Attica, -22- persons with masked features approached a health food shop where fans of another group were present. After entering, they removed shirts and banners with the threat of violence and fled, while in the sight of police officers they rejected a shirt, which was confiscated. Investigations revealed the involvement of -5- members of the organisation.
– On 03-12-2023, during a football match in Volos, following a referee’s decision that displeased the visiting team, -20- persons entered the pitch and attacked police officers with bottles, chairs and other objects. Investigations identified -6- members of the organisation.
Also, in the course of the operation, -4- persons were arrested, as drugs (cannabis and cocaine) as well as firecrackers and a knife were found in their possession and from searches in their homes.
In total from the searches carried out -among other things- were found and seized:
-2- pistols,
– – 2 pistol-pens,
two pistols, – two pistols, one pistol, one pencil-gun, one air pistol,
-97- cartridges
9797 cartridge cases,
imitation firearm,
imitation sub-machine gun,
firecrackers,
knife,
-1 kilo and 210 grams of cannabis,
-690- grams of cocaine and
a number of items of evidence (clothing, flares, flare launchers, explosive device remnants, etc.).
The arrested persons were brought before the competent prosecuting authority.
