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Two Men Charged Over England World Cup 'Heist'
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia /Sports

Two Men Charged Over England World Cup 'Heist'

From Asharq Al-Awsat · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Official statement In the courts
  • Two men, Mustafa Salik and Erfan Kamal, have been charged in connection with the theft of England's World Cup equipment.
  • The stolen items, valued at approximately $18,000, were taken from vehicles transferring gear to their Kansas City base.
  • Prosecutors emphasized a zero-tolerance policy for criminal activity targeting World Cup visitors.

Two men, Mustafa Salik and Erfan Kamal, have been charged with receiving stolen property in connection with the theft of approximately $18,000 worth of equipment from the England national football team during the World Cup. The charges were announced by the office of Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson.

Jackson County will not tolerate any criminal activity that targets World Cup visitors, including the international teams that have traveled here to compete.

— Melesa JohnsonStating the prosecutor's office's stance on crimes against World Cup participants.

The stolen gear, including team kit and personal items like goalkeeper Dean Henderson's boots, was taken from vehicles as it was being transported from England's training camp in Florida to their World Cup base in Kansas City. The offense under Missouri law carries a potential prison sentence of up to seven years.

Prosecutor Melesa Johnson stated that Jackson County will not tolerate criminal activity targeting World Cup visitors. She commended the Kansas City Police Department and on-call attorneys for their swift investigation and the immediate filing of charges. Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas also praised the collaborative efforts in resolving the multi-state investigation and aiding the recovery of stolen goods.

We thank the Kansas City Police Department and our on-call attorneys for their quick work investigating this incident and filing charges immediately.

— Melesa JohnsonAcknowledging the swift response from law enforcement and legal teams.

England players expressed relief that their equipment was recovered. Reserve goalkeeper Dean Henderson confirmed he had received his boots back, and defender Dan Burn stated that all his kit and boots were returned. Both players appeared relaxed about the incident, with Burn noting that they were not fully aware of the details as the police handled the investigation.

I got them back, so it's all good.

— Dean HendersonConfirming the recovery of his personal equipment.

England, considered among the World Cup favorites, began their training session on Saturday in front of fans. They are scheduled to open their World Cup campaign against Croatia on Wednesday, followed by matches against Ghana and Panama in Group L.

I think they got everything back, so it's all good.

— Dean HendersonAssuring that most of the stolen items were recovered.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Asharq Al-Awsat. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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