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CRIME

Three killed during World Cup celebrations

UPDATE: Three Germans were killed and several injured overnight as the nation partied into the early hours of Monday celebrating its victory in the World Cup final.

Three killed during World Cup celebrations
Police photograph the scene of the murder in Bremen on Monday. Photo: DPA

A 19-year-old football fan was knifed to death at a public screening of Germany's World Cup victory on Sunday night.

A deadly scuffle broke out in a cinema in the western city of Bremen when a fault caused the live broadcast to switch off just as the nail-biting game went into extra-time.

Heavy rain may have been responsible for the sudden power cut at the crucial moment, police said.

Fans moved to another room to continue watching but with tensions running high, a fight broke out along the way – with at least one knife being pulled.

One unnamed 19-year-old victim sustained such serious stab wounds that he died in hospital on Monday morning.

Police have arrested a 22-year-old suspect, who was also injured in the fight along with the victim's 23-year-old brother.

Further witnesses are being questioned in connection with the incident.

Beat and run

Meanwhile, police in southern Germany are searching for a young man in connection with another fatal attack.

Around 3am an unknown attacker struck twice in quick succession in the mountain spa resort town of Bad Reichenhall in Upper Bavaria, police said in a statement. 

A 72-year-old man died of his injuries on the street when he was badly beaten around the head, Munich's Abendzeitung reported.

And 15 minutes later, a teenage girl, 17, was taken to hospital after she called police to say she had been attacked a few streets away, police said. 

Rooftop fall

In Berlin, a man fell to his death during a celebratory exploration of the city's rooftops in the southern district of Neukölln.

The 23-year-old had climbed onto the roof of a Neukölln shopping centre together with a friend and decided to hop between buildings.

In the dark, he stepped on a sheet of glass which gave way under his weight and he fell 18 metres, said Bild.

Emergency services were not immediately able to find the man, who died of his injuries at the scene.

Celebrations get out of control

The night ended badly for two fans in Espelkamp, North Rhine-Westphalia, who set their own house on fire with celebratory fireworks.

Willi Isaak, 59, and his wife Irene 52, had been watching the final in their living room, said Bild newspaper.

After the final whistle Willi Isaak let off some rockets in their garden, but didn't notice when one landed on the roof, setting it alight.

Willi then jumped on his bike and headed off to the town celebrations, leaving his wife to continue watching television.

The fire was only discovered after it was too late, after which at least €300,000 of damage had already been caused.

Shot in a motorcade

In Bergheim, near the western city of Cologne, a 23-year-old woman was shot while driving with friends in a motorcade after Sunday's match.

She was taken to hospital with serious injuries.

Police said the other passengers had heard a loud noise and then realised their driver had been wounded in the shoulder.

Police believe she was shot with a small-calibre weapon from outside the car.

Bomb threat

An outdoor screening of the game was interrupted in Koblenz, Rhineland-Palatinate, when police received an anonymous phone call warning of a bomb threat. 

Police searched the area with dogs and it was later declared safe.

Around 7,700 fans later gathered in Koblenz’s three ‘public viewing’ areas without trouble, police said.

Aggro in Argentina

Outside Germany, violence also broke out overnight in the Argentinian capital Buenos Aires as disappointed fans took to the streets.

In one incident, German tourists watching the game in the same bar as the German ambassador were attacked by Argentinian fans.

Police said two attackers had been arrested.

Overall, 70 people were injured and 50 arrests were made as police used tear gas and rubber bullets to break up the unrest in Buenos Aires on Monday morning.

SEE ALSO: Latest reaction from Germany's World Cup win

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GERMANY AND RUSSIA

Germany, Czech Republic accuse Russia of cyberattacks

Germany and the Czech Republic on Friday blamed Russia for a series of recent cyberattacks, prompting the European Union to warn Moscow of consequences over its "malicious behaviour in cyberspace".

Germany, Czech Republic accuse Russia of cyberattacks

The accusations come at a time of strained relations between Moscow and the West following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine and the European Union’s support for Kyiv.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said a newly concluded government investigation found that a cyberattack targeting members of the Social Democratic Party had been carried out by a group known as APT28.

APT28 “is steered by the military intelligence service of Russia”, Baerbock told reporters during a visit to Australia.

“In other words, it was a state-sponsored Russian cyberattack on Germany and this is absolutely intolerable and unacceptable and will have consequences.”

APT28, also known as Fancy Bear, has been accused of dozens of cyberattacks in countries around the world. Russia denies being behind such actions.

The hacking attack on German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s SPD party was made public last year. Hackers exploited a previously unknown vulnerability in Microsoft Outlook to compromise e-mail accounts, according to Berlin.

Berlin on Friday summoned the acting charge d’affaires of the Russian embassy over the incident.

The Russian embassy in Germany said its envoy “categorically rejected the accusations that Russian state structures were involved in the given incident… as unsubstantiated and groundless”.

Arms, aerospace targeted: BerlinĀ 

German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said the cyber campaign was orchestrated by Russia’s military intelligence service GRU and began in 2022. It also targeted German companies in the armaments and aerospace sectors, she said.

Such cyberattacks are “a threat to our democracy, national security and our free societies”, she told a joint news conference in Prague with her Czech counterpart Vit Rakusan.

“We are calling on Russia again to stop these activities,” Faeser added.

Czech government officials said some of its state institutions had also been the target of cyberattacks blamed on APT28, again by exploiting a weakness in Microsoft Outlook in 2023.

Czech Interior Minister Rakusan said his country’s infrastructure had recently experienced “higher dozens” of such attacks.

“The Czech Republic is a target. In the long term, it has been perceived by the Russian Federation as an enemy state,” he told reporters.

EU, NATO condemnation

The German and Czech findings triggered strong condemnation from the European Union.

“The malicious cyber campaign shows Russia’s continuous pattern of irresponsible behaviour in cyberspace, by targeting democratic institutions, government entities and critical infrastructure providers across the European Union and beyond,” EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell said.

The EU would “make use of the full spectrum of measures to prevent, deter and respond to Russia’s malicious behaviour in cyberspace”, he added.

State institutions, agencies and entities in other member states including in Poland, Lithuania, Slovakia and Sweden had been targeted by APT28 in the past, the statement added.

The latest accusations come a day after NATO expressed “deep concern” over Russia’s “hybrid actions” including disinformation, sabotage and cyber interference.

The row also comes as millions of Europeans prepare to go to the polls for the European Parliament elections in June, and concerns about foreign meddling are running high.

Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky told AFP that “pointing a finger publicly at a specific attacker is an important tool to protect national interests”.

One of the most high-profile incidents so far blamed on Fancy Bear was a cyberattack in 2015 that paralysed the computer network of the German lower house of parliament, the Bundestag. It forced the entire institution offline for days while it was fixed.

In 2020, the EU imposed sanctions on individuals and entities linked to the APT28 group over the incident.

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