site.btaUnderage Youths and Prohibited Items Found as 57 Held at Sofia Rally

The Sofia Directorate of the Interior Ministry (SDIM) detained 57 people for up to 24 hours during Wednesday’s anti-government protest in Sofia, SDIM Director Lyubomir Nikolov said, as quoted by the Sofia police on Thursday. The group included 22 youths under 18 years old and two kids under 14.

Of the detainees, 24 had previous records for various criminal offences, including hooliganism, possession of drugs, causing bodily harm, robberies and thefts. The underage youths were handed over to their parents. Some of them also had criminal records for thefts, robberies and hooliganism, Nikolov said.

He added that before the protest rally, about 40 people were removed from the area after prohibited items were found on them – knives, knuckledusters, masks and pyrotechnics. Two of them were carrying BGN 10,000 and EUR 1,500. A fast-track investigation for possession of drugs was opened at the First Police Precinct. An 18-year-old was detained for up to 24 hours after officers found marijuana on him. He had been stopped near the protest venue by a mobile police unit.