Euro 2008 saw 520 arrested, says ministry

A total of 520 people have been arrested and 1,500 charges filed in the first two weeks of the Euro, the Austrian interior ministry said on Monday in a positive security assessment of the tournament.

Among the charges filed, about half were for penal infractions and the other half for administrative offences, ministry spokesman Guenther Marek told a press conference.

A total of 320 fans were arrested for penal offences while most of the others only had their identities checked, he said.

In total, 1.9 million supporters have travelled to the small alpine country since June 7, Marek also noted.

Violence has remained at a minimum during the Euro.

Austrian police arrested 12 people on Friday in Vienna after the Turkey v Croatia quarter-final, following minor clashes between fans and police in an immigrant neighbourhood.

In Switzerland, 30 people were arrested on Saturday in Basel following rioting in the wake of Russia's quarter-final win against the Netherlands.