One of three arrested Ajax players charged in cop's assault

The three Ajax youth team players arrested Thursday for assaulting a female police officer were released from custody, the prosecutor said on Friday. The team has suspended the trio pending an internal investigation. “An 18-year-old man from Amsterdam is ordered to appear before the court for common assault,” the prosecutor revealed. The more minor assault charge was filed because the officer was in plainclothes, did not identify herself as an officer, and she had no broken bones or fractures. As he has no prior record, he was temporarily released. The suspects are Ajax A1 attacker Zakaria El A., 18, captain Ashraf El M., 18, and 19-year-old striker Samet B., according to De Telegraaf. “The other two men, aged 18 and 19 years, were released without a summons because they were not involved in the assault. They are no longer suspects and will not be prosecuted,” the prosecutor added. “The club takes this very seriously, and is making every effort to find out what happened as quickly as possible,” Ajax released in a statement. “Then, Ajax will determine if and what appropriate action will follow. Until then, the players will not be involved in football activities organized by the club.” The three players allegedly blocked part of the Ouderkerkerdijk, across the A2 from the Amsterdam ArenA, with a black Mercedes. When the police officer pulled up she honked her horn at the car. The three men then got out of the car and allegedly grabbed the woman and pulled her out of her own vehicle, and then assaulted her, according to citizen alert site Burgernet. An alert civilian spotted the car, and the three were arrested near the Van der Madeweg. Health and Sport Minister Edith Schippers was disappointed by the accusation, and said it sent a terrible message out. She referred the matter to the police, Justice ministry and Ajax, according to AD. Interim Justice Minister Stef Blok said that any case of “violence against authority figures is always terrible. We simply cannot accept this.” Meanwhile, Anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders said on Twitter the three should be stripped of their Dutch nationally “and immediately sent to Morocco.”Since he sent his Tweet, two of the the three men were exonerated.