CAIRO (AP) — Egyptian lawyers say police have arrested 38 members of a die-hard soccer fan club on charges of belonging to an illegal group, attempting to set fire to a provincial court house and insulting police officers.
The charges Thursday are the first signs of a crackdown on the soccer fan clubs, known as Ultras, which became a force in Egypt’s tumultuous transition and are known for their long-standing animosity with the police.
Lawyer Ahmed Ezzat said that those arrested in the Nile Delta province of Menoufia include at least 15 minors.
Suspected Ultras set fire to a police club and a soccer federation in Cairo last week during protests over the acquittal of policemen tried for their alleged part in a 2012 riot that killed over 70 soccer fans.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.
