Czech Police still tracking perpetrator of arson on Romani home

Police have yet to track down the assailant who threw a Molotov cocktail into a single-family home occupied by Roma last week in Krty (Rakovník district). Mayor Jaroslav Rambousek has announced that the municipality is paying to replace the damaged window panes and to install protective sheeting over them so the residents will feel more secure. For the time being he reportedly has not received any indications that the Roma are planning to move out of the village because of the attack.

The mayor believes the attack could not have been committed by someone from the village. “In my judgment, the person who committed this attack was probably an amateur, not a professional. Whoever it was used a fuel that is not one of the most explosive, which is good,” Rambousek said. He would not say more about the attack due to the ongoing police investigation.

The incident took place last week in the early morning hours of Wednesday, when someone threw a Molotov cocktail into a single-family home on railway property occupied by Romani people. The burning bottle was put out immediately. One person suffered minor second-degree burns on his leg.

Police are investigating the case for the time being as one of attempted grievous bodily harm, for which the perpetrator would face between five and 12 years in prison. “We are working on this case intensively. We have not arrested anyone yet,” said Soňa Budská, spokesperson for the Central Bohemian Police, who also would not provide further details.

Rambousek says police officers are patrolling the village more often, including regular evening patrols. Street lights will be left on all night in the neighborhood of the single-family home, which was previously not the case. “To save money the street lights in the neighborhood of that house had been turned off between 01:00 and 04:00, but we’ve reversed that,” Rambousek said, repeating his earlier assertion that there had never been any significant conflicts with the victimized family.

A similar arson attack occurred recently in Býchory (Kolín district). A flaming torch landed inside a Roma-occupied home. No one suffered physical injury. Criminal prosecution has been initiated against four suspects. In Nýrsko (Klatovy district) two hooligans recently broke into a Roma-occupied home and almost killed the father of the family by beating him with a wooden bat and kicking him.