Vítkov arsonists claim attack was meant to hit a storehouse of stolen goods

Under extraordinary security measures, the trial of last year’s arson attack on the home of a Romani family in Vítkov started today at 9 AM in the Ostrava Regional Court. The victims of the fire that was intentionally set during the early morning hours of 19 April included a little girl, Natálka, not yet two years old at the time, who suffered extensive burns. The indictment alleges that four neo-Nazis from Bruntál and Opava districts wanted to pull off a large-scale action ahead of the 120th anniversary of Adolf Hitler’s birth on 20 April 2009. They face up to 15 years in prison if convicted, but an exceptional sentence of life in prison may also be handed down.

A large group of riot police from the prison services escorted defendants David Vaculík, Jaromír Lukeš, Ivo Müller and Václav Cojocaru into the courtroom. State prosecutor Brigita Bilíková delivered the indictment shortly after 9:30 AM. Her remarks lasted about 10 minutes. She described in detail how the attack was performed.

Lukeš and Vaculík have decided to exercise their right not to testify, but the other defendants wanted to testify. Ivo Müller gave testimony just before 10 AM. He confirmed Biliková’s claim that Lukeš had planned the attack. “The day before the attack, he [Lukeš] joined us at our table at a restaurant in Opava. He said he wanted to do something big. He wanted to do something bad to the Roma, to intimidate them. I don’t know why. He probably wanted to get publicity for the movement,” Müller said. The group learned from Lukeš what house they were going to attack the next day. Müller allegedly did not know the house was occupied. “It was not our intention to injure anyone or kill them. Our aim was only to destroy a storehouse of supposedly stolen goods. Nothing else,” Műller said.

Markus Pape, one of the victims’ attorneys-in fact, asked Müller about his contacts with neo-Nazis. Müller downplayed the contacts, claiming they were irregular, and stressed that he was not a member of any political party, but simply a promoter of right-wing movements. News server Deník.cz quoted Műller as characterizing the right-wing movements as “nationalism, patriotism.” In response to another of Pape’s questions, Műller said Roma were supposedly using the Vítkov house as a place to store stolen goods.

Václav Cojocaru gave his testimony at 12 noon after a recess. He said he was fascinated by the clothing of the right-wing movement and claimed to know Lukeš and Müller only from demonstrations. Cojocaru said he had no idea why he had received an SMS message to bring gasoline to a meeting in Horní Benešov on 17 April. “I wondered what they wanted it for. Then I told them I would be coming to Horní Benešov,” Cojocaru said. He brought the canisters, bottles, and materials from which the wicks were then made. Cojocaru claimed he had no idea what the group was going to do when they drove to Opava.

“I kept wondering where we going. I was told I would find out. Lukeš navigated me to Vítkov. When I asked him again what was going on, he said we were supposed to set an old building on fire that was being used to store stolen goods,” news server Deník.cz quoted Cojocaru as testifying. He described how the defendants filled the bottles and threw them into the building. Throughout his testimony he claimed that if he had known there were people in the house, he would never have thrown the bottle.

Cojocaru and Müller poured gasoline into three bottles and Lukeš ripped up rags, stuffing them into the bottles as wicks. He then took the wheel. “He claimed it was a storehouse of stolen goods. He said it was abandoned, empty,” Cojocaru said. They spent about one minute in front of the house. They exited the car, each with a bottle. “It was dark, I didn’t see any lights. If I had noticed the building was occupied, I would have thrown the bottle onto the street or somewhere else,” Cojocaru said.

Cojocaru and Müller both expressed repentance over the fact that young Natálka had been injured. When asked about his relations with the Roma, Műller said they were drug users and thieves who had beaten him up in the past. Cojocaru, on the other hand, did his best to explain that communication with the Roma was possible and said he had worked at summer camps where he took care of disabled children and Roma.

Lukeš’s attorney Pavel Pěnkava said he disagreed with the claim that his client was the main organizer of the attack. “That’s how the media have labeled him. We will do our best during the trial to refute that,” he said. The main hearing was adjourned at 13:30 and will continue tomorrow at 9 AM.

Pavel Uhl, attorney-in-fact for the children, including Natálka, who were in the house at the time of the attack, told the Czech Press Agency prior to the start of the trial today that he is seeking several million Czech crowns in compensation for their pain and suffering and damaged capacity. The medical insurance company is demanding CZK 7.5 million (EUR 300 000) for the victims’ treatment. Uhl is seeking CZK 6.5 million in pain and suffering for Natálka and CZK 2.8 million to compensate for her future reduced capacity to function independently in society. The total damages amount to almost CZK 18 million. Ladislav Baláž and Markus Pape, also attorneys-in-fact for the family, are seeking more than CZK 900 000 for various family members.

News server iDNES.cz reported that the father of burn victim Natálka, Pavel Kudrik, was among the first to arrive in court. “I am leaving the verdict up to the court and I believe it will be a just one. However, if it were up to me, I would give them life in prison. Natálka will suffer from this for the rest of her life,” he told iDNES.cz prior to the start of the trial.

Prison services and court bailiffs undertook extraordinary security measures to protect the trial. The Regional Court in Ostrava has evidently never been under such a strict security regime before. Those attending are subjected to more extensive searches and the defendants are guarded by armed riot units from the prison services. “Security measures will be in place, but I am not going to comment on them further as it would be counterproductive to do so,” Barbara Plchotová, spokesperson for the court, told the Czech Press Agency.

The crime was committed in honor of Adolf Hitler’s birthday

The indictment says the crime, committed in the early morning hours of 19 April, was planned by Lukeš and that the four men aimed to achieve publicity for themselves on the extremist scene. Allegedly they also wanted to do something big just before the 120th anniversary of the birth of Adolf Hitler on 20 April 2009.

“Lukeš, who knew the locality well, intentionally selected it for its high population density of people of Roma origin and picked out the house on Opavská street in Vítkov,” state prosecutor Brigita Bilíková stated in the indictment. According to the text made available to the Czech Press Agency, all the defendants knew the house was occupied by Roma, the conditions the family was living in, and the number of people living in the house.

Just before the attack was committed, Lukeš had David Vaculík take the wheel, allegedly because he knew the area and would know how best to escape should they be followed. According to the indictment, Cojocaru provided the materials for making the Molotov cocktails and the other three threw them. First they all masked their faces and put on gloves. Then each one of them stood in front of a different ground-floor window and threw the Molotov cocktails directly at them. They then drove off.

The attack set three fires which quickly spread throughout the small house. Nine people were sleeping there at the time. Six of them succeeded in escaping the flames and fleeing to safety, but little Natálka’s clothes caught fire and she suffered serious burns. Her parents were also injured, but less seriously. The fire later completely destroyed the entire house.

Doctors at the hospital’s Burn Center in Ostrava say Natálka’s survival was a small miracle. The little girl has been through dozens of operations and more await her. Even though she is being treated at home now, her battle is far from won. She is a frequent hospital patient. One year after the arson attack, she is now learning to walk again.

Natálka is unaware that the people whom the police say caused her such pain are on trial. On the other hand, her mother, Anna Siváková, has been preparing herself for the trial – mainly for the fact that she will have to look the attackers in the face. “I am not looking forward to it. I have no idea how I will react once I see them,” Siváková has said.

The defendants are blaming one another for the attack, but all claim they were unaware the house was occupied, and that claim is the basis of their defense. The media are expected to take great interest in the trial, as are other promoters of ultra-right wing groups. The main hearings will last until mid-June, when the verdict is expected to be announced.