PARIS (AP) — The seven fans who were taken into custody on suspicion of making Nazi salutes during the France-Croatia soccer match in Paris have been released and won't be prosecuted due to a lack of evidence, a judicial official told The Associated Press.
Paris police prefect Laurent Nunez said on Monday, a day after the Nations League game at Stade de France, that seven individuals who allegedly made the gestures were arrested, adding that they had "no business in a sports arena.”
But prosecutors later said the police custody was lifted and the proceedings dismissed because of insufficient evidence of an offense.
“The videos do not appear to be conclusive and show more gestures of supporters than Nazi salutes,” Anne-Laure Mestrallet, the general secretary of Bobigny prosecutor's office, told the AP.
During the match, firecrackers went off in the enclosure where the Croatia fans were gathered and some flares were also lit.
Last year, Croatia was among seven national soccer federations ordered by UEFA to pay fines for racist and discriminatory abuse by fans at European Championship games. It was handed the biggest fine of 50,000 euros ($54,000) for incidents at each of its three matches.
On Sunday, France beat Croatia by a penalty shootout 5-4, after the tie finished 2-2 on aggregate, and advanced to the Nations League semifinals.
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Croatia's fans light flares during the UEFA Nations League quarterfinal second leg soccer match between France and Croatia, at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, outside Paris, Sunday, March 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said Wednesday that four U.S. soldiers who went missing while training in Lithuania have died, but that he did not yet know the details.
A U.S. official would say only that the four soldiers were involved in a training accident. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, would not comment on the status of the soldiers.
Lithuania's military said later on X that the deaths were not yet confirmed and that a rescue operation was “intensively ongoing.”
“Four United States soldiers and one tracked vehicle have gone missing during an exercise at a training ground in Lithuania. At the moment, there is no evidence or information confirming the death of the troops,” the Lithuanian Armed Forces said in the statement.
Rutte said during a trip to Warsaw that he had received word of the deaths of the four soldiers while he was delivering a lecture, and that his thoughts were with their families and with the United States.
“This is still early news so we do not know the details. This is really terrible news and our thoughts are with the families and loved ones," Rutte told reporters in Warsaw.
A statement from U.S. Army Europe and Africa public affairs in Wiesbaden, Germany said the soldiers were conducting scheduled tactical training at the time.
Lithuanian public broadcaster LRT reported that four U.S. soldiers and vehicle were reported missing Tuesday afternoon during an exercise at the General Silvestras Žukauskas training ground in Pabradė, a town located less than 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the border with Belarus.
The Baltic countries of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are all NATO members and have often had chilly ties with Russia, a key ally of Belarus, since declaring independence from the Soviet Union in 1990.
Relations soured further over Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda has been one of the most outspoken supporters of Ukraine in its fight against Russian President Vladimir Putin's forces.
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AP writer Lolita C. Baldor contributed from Washington
FILE - Eurocopters Tiger of the German Army take part in the Lithuanian-German division-level international military exercise 'Grand Quadriga 2024' at a training range in Pabrade, north of the capital Vilnius, Lithuania on May 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis, File)
