Delfi reports migrants attacked Lithuanian border guards at tunnel

LRT reported, citing Delfi, that a group of migrants attempting to enter Lithuania illegally through a tunnel attacked State Border Guard Service (VSAT) officers in Varėna District on July 26.

The incident took place at the Kapčiamiestis border station near the Belarusian border. After officers discovered the tunnel and detained several migrants trying to pass through it, about 20 more people emerged from the tunnel and attacked the border guards.

Lazdijai politician Vilma Danauskienė reported the previously undisclosed incident on Facebook on Wednesday. She alleged that four officers had been sent to confront a group of more than 20 migrants armed with sticks and stones, despite operational information received from foreign counterparts.

VSAT did not tell Delfi whether the migrants had entered Lithuanian territory or whether handcuffs had been lost during the incident, saying that a pretrial investigation was under way.

Last week, VSAT reported finding another tunnel near the village of Pertakas in Lazdijai District. Officers at the Kapčiamiestis border station detected possible underground excavation using equipment that registered vibrations beneath the ground. When officers arrived, about 20 men in civilian clothing withdrew into Belarusian territory. A pretrial investigation into illegal border crossing was launched.