Turkey Arrests Seven for Serbia Basketball Killing

Police on Tuesday arrested seven fans of Turkish basketball team Galatasaray in connection with the fatal stabbing last week of a Serbian fanof the Red Star Belgrade team during the violence that erupted in front of the stadium in Istanbul, Serbian media reported.        

Officers detained the suspects after identifying them with the help of surveillance footage that captured the deadly fight involving hundreds of people last Friday.

The 25-year-old Serbian fan, named as Marko Ivkovic, was stabbed in the heart during the brawl.

The Serbian state-run Tanjug news agency reported that Galatasaray fans attacked some 400 Red Star supporters who could not enter the venue because could not buy tickets.

Turkish police obtained footage from 25 security cameras near the murder scene, and statements are being taken from individuals who could identify the perpetrator, the Serbian Interior Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

Turkish Interior Minister Efkan Ala has extended condolences to Ivkovic's family and to Serbia, adding that the Turkish police will try to find the perpetrator as soon as possible, the statement said.

The Turkish minister "informed [Serbian Interior Minister Nebojsa] Stefanovic that their police have set up two special teams to find the perpetrator of the crime against the Serbian national".

Stefanovic said that for the sake of good relations between the two countries, it was very important that the perpetrator is brought to justice as soon as possible "because it is in the interest of the Serbian public and the state".

After the killing, some Galatasaray fans started issuing threats on social media to Red Star supporters and also to fans of Serbian basketball club Partizan,...