Plzeň court puts Ukrainian accused in rape case in custody

A court in Plzeň has placed in custody an 18-year-old foreigner charged on Thursday with the rape and attempted murder of a 15-year-old girl. The mayor of Plzeň said that in view of the tensions sparked by the case he would reveal that the man was Ukrainian but was not a refugee.

The minister of the interior, Vít Rakušan, warned against violence, spreading hatred and generalisation and called on people to let the police do their jobs.

The Ukrainian Embassy in Prague condemned the act of violence in Plzeň and expressed sympathy for the victim.