Police arrest 27 Real Madrid ultras armed with knuckle dusters and sticks before the derby
Plain-clothes officers caught 30 hooligans by surprise close to the Bernabéu. A pitched battle between Real Madrid and Atlético ultras had been organized.
Madrid Police surprised a group of Real Madrid ultras armed to the teeth with knuckle dusters and batons on Friday night just hours before the capital was to celebrate the derby, a police spokesman informed Europa Press. Plain-clothes officers swooped on a group of around 30 men who has been acting suspiciously in a bar in Calle Marceliano Santa María close to the Santiago Bernabéu stadium. When they spotted the undercover police, the men threw eight sticks and other home-made weapons to the floor. The ultras had intended to stage a pitched battle with their Atlético rivals, ABC reported. In total, police identified 27 ultras, some of whom were also found in possession of knuckle dusters and other improvised arms.
