Photo from crime scene in Brno, Czech Republic shows perpetrator of stabbing was not alone, police say some video footage is not of the crime
Video footage is making the rounds on Czech social media that is allegedly of the conflict on Saturday, 10 June between a group of Romani people and a group of Ukrainians in Brno-Bystrc. The Czech Police have already refuted the notion that one such video actually shows the tragic incident.
A photograph is also being circulated online that allegedly shows both groups just before the tragic conflict unfolded. News server Romea.cz has investigated where both the photograph and the video footage were specifically taken.
Yesterday a photograph showing two men standing and facing each other was circulated on social media (see below). On one side three Romani people can be seen (on the left, with the late Mr. Nikolas Dirda in the middle), and on the other side there are three Ukrainians.
The photograph was taken at the Přístaviště tram stop and corresponds to the scene of the tragedy; it apparently actually shows the man who is currently in custody (on the far right of the photograph). In this photo from the crime scene, his hairstyle is the same as that shown in the video footage from court when he was remanded into custody.
The description of the incident that first began to be disseminated online from an anonymous eyewitness who spoke to CNN Prima News is called into question by this photograph. The anonymous eyewitness alleged that the Ukrainian man was alone and had admonished the Romani people, who then assaulted him and outnumbered him.
The photograph, however, shows two groups of men facing off against each other. The man who eventually pulled a knife during the conflict was not alone, therefore.
Police spokesperson Pavel Šváb previously stated that to exactly determine who played what role in the conflict, eyewitness testimony will be crucial, not just testimony from those involved. “For that reason in particular, we are again asking any and all witnesses: If you were an eyewitness who saw this conflict or who knows what preceded it on the tram and you haven’t been in contact with police yet, call 158. Until all of the eyewitnesses have been questioned we can’t say anything more,” Šváb said.
The police spokesperson also said detectives are still making every effort to work on clarifying all circumstances of the case. The photograph in question is currently being shared online in an edited version including an anti-Ukrainian vulgarity and a crossed-out image of the flag of Ukraine.
In the version of the photograph below, news server Romea.cz has covered both the flag and the inscription. We have also covered the faces of all those depicted.
A video (see below) that shows a similar group of people was taken at almost the exact same location. Those in the video are wearing the same clothing as those in the photograph; the footage was apparently taken just after the tragic incident and shows two police officers running to the scene.
The situation in the video corresponds to the previous police description of their intervention. According to them, an eyewitness warned a police patrol that a brawl was underway near the public transit stop.
“The officers ran to the scene of the incident, one patrol member called an ambulance, another ascertained a description of the suspect (the perpetrator) and then saw a person fitting that description who was near the traffic island for boarding public transportation. A 37-year-old man was then apprehended and arrested on the spot,” said police spokesperson Pavel Šváb.
A journalist for the CNN Prima News television channel also published a photograph on Sunday showing emergency medical responders on the scene. That photo was also taken in quite close proximity to the scene of the incident.
This is exactly the spot where the late Mr. Nikolas Dirda is said to have disembarked, and currently there is an improvised remembrance site there. However, the online television channel Šalingrad, which is close to the disinformation scene, has published a different video (see below) and alleges that it shows the moment when the murder was perpetrated.
That video was filmed near the place where the late Mr. Nikolas Dirda was stabbed, but it does not show the tragic conflict. It was taken from a greater distance by somebody at the U Vesla pub.
The footage shows a brawl happening at a place that is about 40 meters away (more toward the reservoir) from the place where the emergency medical responders intervened. The people in the footage are not the same as the people in the photograph from the tram stop, however.
The Czech Police have confirmed that video footage is not of the conflict during which the late Mr. Nikolas Dirda was stabbed, and they have refuted the allegations of the disinformation TV Šalingrad channel. “The video footage published today (on social media) is not of the crime scene or of the incident under investigation. Despite its lack of connection to the case, we are officially investigating its content,” the Czech Police tweeted.
