Riots in 2nd division: charge of attempted murder

Following the riots at the second division soccer match between 1. FC Magdeburg and Dynamo Dresden at the end of January, the public prosecutor's office has now brought charges of attempted murder. A 29-year-old German has to answer to the Magdeburg district court. The accused is sufficiently suspected of attempted murder, whereby he is accused of low motives for murder, it is said.

In this context, he is also accused of particularly serious breach of the peace, grievous bodily harm and assault on law enforcement officers in a particularly serious case, the Magdeburg public prosecutor's office announced. The accused was already arrested on January 28 and is still in custody.

15-kilo cobblestone thrown at police officers

In the indictment, the 29-year-old is accused of participating in the riots against police officers during the clash between FCM and Dresden at the Avnet Arena on January 24, 2026. In the course of the riots, the accused is said to have thrown a cobblestone weighing approx. 15 kilograms from close range with full force at the officers in the police chain. In doing so, he allegedly hit the injured police officer on the head and injured him.

Because of the force of the impact, the weight of the stone, the force of the throw and the short distance, the accused is said to have at least accepted that the throw could have resulted in fatal injuries.

DFB sentences club with partial expulsion of fans

Following the violent riots in which more than 70 police officers were injured, 1. FC Magdeburg was punished with a partial expulsion of fans. The second division club also had to pay a fine totaling 186,600 euros.

The club has since responded with a number of measures and expanded its security measures. Camera surveillance is also to be technically optimized. At the time, fans had also thrown barriers and manhole covers at police officers.

Saxony-Anhalt Interior Minister Tamara Zieschang (CDU) strongly condemned the riots at the time. "Hitting police officers with a manhole cover and paving slabs is nothing other than brutal violence," she said.