Authorities name no suspects two months after Kaunas mosque incident

Two months after an incident outside a mosque in Kaunas, investigators have not named any suspects and are withholding details of the case, LRT reported, citing the news agency ELTA.

The pre-trial investigation concerns possible incitement against a national, racial, ethnic, religious or other group, and interference with religious services or ceremonies. Prosecutors said the investigation is continuing and necessary investigative actions are under way.

The Kaunas Regional Prosecutor’s Office said no one had been formally notified of suspicion. It declined to say whether expert assessments, including of video material, were being conducted, citing the risk of harming the investigation.

Police opened the criminal investigation in mid-September after reviewing available material. A separate administrative proceeding over a breach of rules for organising gatherings was discontinued on October 15 because the criminal investigation into the same incident was under way. Police had opened that proceeding after the bikers gathered outside the mosque without a municipal permit.

According to the news portal Kas vyksta Kaune, a group of bikers disrupted Muslim prayers at and inside the mosque. They chanted “Lithuania,” made noise, played rock music loudly and brought a pig’s head. The bikers interviewed by the portal could not say what specific message they wanted to convey.

After the incident, Interior Minister Martynas Katelynas asked the State Security Department to assess the situation and possible risks. He said the encounter between the bikers and Muslims could have ended in riots if police had not been present.

Representatives of Lithuanian Tatar communities have also raised questions publicly about the mosque’s management and the role of a so-called second muftiate. Its head, Aleksandras Beganskas, has rejected allegations that the community is becoming radicalised.