Egypt: 38 soccer fans charged with violence

Move signifies beginning of crackdown on Ultras, known for animosity with police

14 March 2013, 9:13 pm
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Egyptian soccer fans of Al-Ahly club celebrate in front of their club in Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, March 9. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
Egyptian soccer fans of Al-Ahly club celebrate in front of their club in Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, March 9. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

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.

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