Briton arrested following murder at Hideout festival in Croatia
Police investigating the murder of a 26-year-old Briton in Croatia have arrested a man as he attempted to leave the country.
Thursday 28 June 2018 13:55, UK
A British man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after another British national was stabbed to death at a Croatian music festival.
The 25-year-old suspect was detained at an airport in the coastal town of Split on Thursday as he tried to leave the country, interior minister Davor Bozinovic said.
It follows the death on Wednesday morning of a 26-year-old at Zrec beach, during the Hideout festival. The victim has not been identified.
Two others were injured, one seriously, when a fight broke out on the Croatian island of Pag.
Seven people were detained following the brawl outside The Kalypso club on Zrce beach, local media reported.
"A man fled into the toilet after seeing what had happened to his friend," a witness told Croatian newspaper Vecernji List.
"I'm sure there are witnesses because there were many people there at the time, and everything happened in front of the fast food restaurant."
Edi Karuc, deputy director of a hospital in nearby Zadar, said that one man was in intensive care after being stabbed five times in his upper body.
He said: "A British citizen with serious injuries has been brought to our hospital and has been hospitalised in intensive care department. He was stabbed. His life is in danger."
A Foreign & Commonwealth Office spokesperson confirmed it is aware of the incident.
The spokesperson said: "Staff from the British embassy in Zagreb are supporting the family of a British man who died following an incident in Novalja, and are in contact with the Croatian police and the state attorney."
The northern island of Pag, notably the town of Novalja and Zrce beach, is well known as a summer party destination for young tourists, many of them British.
Tourism is a major industry for Croatia where visitors flock to its stunning Adriatic coast, with more than 1,000 islands and islets.
A spokesman for the Hideout festival, said: "Following an incident involving a group of young men at Zrće Beach, one man tragically lost his life. Another man remains in hospital.
"We are giving every assistance to the investigation and our thoughts and condolences are with the family and friends of the people affected."