Spurs Fans Attack: Three Held In Rome Raids

By Nick Pisa, Sky News Reporter

Three men, including two Lazio fans, have been arrested after nine homes were raided in Rome as part of an investigation into an attack on Spurs supporters.

The suspects - aged 25, 34, and 36 - are accused of wounding and aggravated damage at the Drunken Ship pub in the city centre in November before a Europa League match between Lazio and Tottenham.

The trio were detained in raids by officers from a specialist unit which investigates football-related violence.

The arrests followed weeks of undercover work as well as examining CCTV footage and telephone interceptions.

Violence broke out when 50 assailants stormed the bar where Spurs fans were gathered.

Their faces were masked with motorbike helmets and scarves and they were armed with knives, baseball bats and knuckle dusters.

Seven people were injured, including an American and a Bangladeshi, and the pub was left in tatters, with windows broken and chairs and tables overturned.

One of those arrested in the raids was a Romanian. Another six people are being questioned but have not been formally arrested.

Ashley Mills was badly hurt in the violence

Sky sources said they all have links with extreme right Lazio fans known as 'ultras'. Another 20 raids are expected.

The three suspects were traced after interviews with witnesses and also CCTV footage which showed the men leaving the pub and then heading to the Appio area of the city which is a well-known Lazio stronghold.

Detectives added the men were traced thanks to telephone and text message records before and after the attack.

Ashley Mills, a Tottenham fan who was in Rome to watch the Lazio game, suffered serious injuries to his skull and thigh.

He needed emergency surgery after he was slashed in the upper thigh and lost several pints of blood.

Doctors kept him in hospital for 10 days before he was discharged and flown back to Essex by a private air ambulance.

Other Spurs fans hurt in the attack included Dave Lesley, Stephen Tierney and Christopher Allen.

Two men, Francesco Ianari and Mauro Pinnelli, have already been arrested by police and although they were initially accused of attempted murder, the charge has now been lowered to wounding and they are still in custody.

Lamberto Giannini, chief of the DIGOS police unit involved in the operation, said that the motive was not anti-Semitic.

He added:' "We don't have any evidence or testimony from witnesses to back that up. There was no anti-Semitic shouting or insults - this was a specific part of the investigation and we paid close attention to it.

'"In certain extreme cases, which go beyond the normal definition of Ultras (fans) and in my opinion touch the edge of madness, there are some games that are more high risk and these tend to be ones involving English sides.'"

Police said that they expected to make further arrests adding that they thought at least 20 other people were involved in the attack.

The three held were kept in custody and had to provide DNA samples which were compared to evidence taken from the scene on knives and other weapons as well as scarves and helmets.

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