EGYPTIAN STUDENT SLIGHTLY INJURED IN ASSAULT IN ZAGREB

ZAGREB, July 31 (Hina) - Police on Thursday acknowledged media reports that 22-year-old Egyptian student Emad Hadami had been beaten and slightly injured in an assault in Zagreb two days ago. Asked at a news conference why the information about the act of violence against the foreign student was one day late, a police spokesperson said that a criminal investigation and an intense search for attackers were under way. Police said they could not confirm media reports that the Egyptian had been beaten up by a gang of skinheads, although they did not rule out the possibility. As soon as the police were notified of the attack at 2155 hours on Tuesday, a patrol was sent to the scene at the Cibona Tower in the centre of the capital. There they found Hadami and another three foreign students -- a 23-year-old Japanese, a 22-year-old Omani and a 19-year-old Kyrgyzstani. All four men were staying in Zagreb as part of a student exchange programme. The four were walking around the city when they were approached by a group of ten youths "with short haircuts and dressed in black" who beat Hadami up, while his friends managed to escape. The police called in an ambulance, which took Hadami to the casualty ward where he was found to have suffered slight injuries. (hina) vm