Slovak Police Release 7 Italian Suspects In Jan Kuciak Murder Case

Bratislava, March 3 (CTK) – The Slovak police have released all seven Italians who had been detained on Thursday within the investigation into last week’s murder of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee, the police announced today, confirming information of the server tvnoviny.sk.

 

The server reported this morning that at least six of the seven detained persons were released between 23:00 and 01:00 last night, while the seventh detainee was undergoing a health examination in hospital over chest pains and would probably be released as well, the server wrote.

 

In a press statement later today, the police said all seven Italians had been released.

 

According to daily Dennik N, the police said they were released after the admissible time limit for persons’ detention expired.

 

“On Thursday, the investigator detained seven persons as suspects… Within the legal deadline (48 hours) the investigator has at his disposal, he checked and sought facts that are needed for accusations to be levelled. After 48 hours expired, the persons were released from detention,” the police said without elaborating.

 

One of the seven persons to have been arrested within the Thursday police raids in eastern Slovakia is Antonino Vadala, about whom the media wrote, in connection with the murder of Kuciak, that he stands close to infamous Italian mafia ‘Ndrangheta.

 

TVnoviny.sk wrote that during home searches, the police found two legally possessed short firearms and have sent them for an analysis for experts to compare them with the material from the scene of the murder.

 

An unknown perpetrator shot Kuciak and his girlfriend, both 27, dead in their house in Velka Maca village, west Slovakia. The police said Kuciak’s work as an investigative journalist was the most probable motive of the crime.

 

In his last, unfinished article, Kuciak described the activities of Italian businesspeople linked to mafia in eastern Slovakia, and also their alleged ties with Prime Minister Robert Fico’s aides.