Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok ( Hlas-SD ) confirmed at a press conference that members of a group that had been harassing residents of Bratislava had been detained. According to him, these were mainly young people. He added that certain actions are currently being completed.
“This is a neo-Nazi group called Valhalla, which appears to be inclined towards right-wing extremism, and which identifies with the goal of a group that is credited with inciting hatred and violence,” the minister said.
He praised the work of the police, also in the context of the fact that this was a long-standing group that terrorized the population of the capital. According to him, the police acted harshly and uncompromisingly. He admitted that sometimes it takes a little longer to gather enough evidence, but he believes that the members of this neo-Nazi group will be punished for their behavior.
According to media reports, police have been intervening in several locations in Bratislava since Tuesday morning. According to TV JOJ, the police operation was related to information that was spread in the media at the beginning of the year, according to which a group of masked neo-Nazis were attacking people in the center of the capital. According to TV JOJ, the police detained more than 20 people, including minors.
“We can confirm that police officers from the Criminal Police Department of the Regional Directorate of the Police Force in Bratislava have been carrying out the necessary actions related to the investigation of extremist criminal activity in Bratislava since the early hours of today,” confirmed Bratislava police spokesman Michal Szeiff . He added that, given the current state of the investigation, it is not possible to provide any further information.
