Ten People Detained in Daniel Tupy Murder Case, Eight Already Released (2)

Bratislava, March 23 (TASR) - The police have detained ten people in the case of the murder of student Daniel Tupy so far, but they've released eight of them in the meantime, senior police officers told a news conference on Thursday. The investigation is still ongoing. No one has been charged yet. Police Corps President Stefan Hamran stressed that the detainees were "110 percent" at the crime scene at the time of the murder. "We felt the need to send out a clear signal that the release of eight people doesn't mean the end of the investigation," he said, adding that no more details of police procedures will be provided for now. National Crime Agency (NAKA) head Lubomir Danko added that some of the crimes have already come under the statute of limitations. "The Bratislava Regional Prosecutor's Office won't comment on the matter to avoid thwarting the purpose of the criminal proceedings, as procedural acts in the case are still ongoing," said the office's prosecutor and spokesman Juraj Chylo. Daniel Tupy was murdered in the park on Tyrsovo Square in Bratislava on the evening of November 4, 2005, sustaining eight stab wounds. He and his friends, fellow students, were attacked by a group of men armed with knives and knuckle dusters. According to eye-witnesses, the attack lasted approximately one minute. A total of six people suffered injuries during the incident. The crime provoked many reactions condemning violence and manifestations of neo-Nazism. According to some media reports, the police at the time treated the murder as a case related to the underworld. A total of five individuals have been charged in the case, with a defendant identified only as Richard H. facing 15 years in prison. They were acquitted of the charges by Bratislava I District court in June 2009, however. ko/df