Romanian police detain supporter of Călin Georgescu after assault on two cameramen outside DIICOT
Bucharest police detained a 50-year-old man for 24 hours on Monday after he assaulted two television cameramen with a metal flagpole outside the DIICOT anti-mafia headquarters.
Physical altercation outside DIICOT headquarters
Bucharest police detained a 50-year-old man for 24 hours on Monday, 5 October 2026, following a violent altercation outside the central headquarters of the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT). The suspect, identified as a supporter of former Romanian presidential candidate Călin Georgescu, targeted two television camera operators representing Digi 24 and România TV. The altercation occurred in Sector 3 as press crews attempted to film and question Georgescu's father-in-law, who had just concluded an interrogation session inside the building. Digi 24 reporter Teodora Chiuș questioned the father-in-law directly upon his exit regarding a money transfer and allegations in the criminal case.
Flagpole attack and police intervention
According to findings by the Bucharest Police, the suspect reacted to journalists filming the father-in-law and attacked the two cameramen using his fist and the white metal pole of a flag he was carrying. Investigators confirmed that the two media representatives were struck intentionally. One of the camera operators stated on recorded footage that he received a blow to the head, and one victim subsequently filed a formal criminal complaint. Gendarmes guarding the perimeter initially checked the man's identity documents and permitted him to leave before escorting him to Bucharest Police Station 10 for formal questioning. The General Directorate of Police of the Municipality of Bucharest condemned the incident.
The Capital Police firmly condemns any form of aggression or violent behaviour toward journalists. Freedom of the press and the safety of journalists must be respected, and any act of violence is treated with firmness and verified expeditiously by police officers.
Legal proceedings and suspect background
Under the supervision of the Prosecutor's Office attached to the Sector 3 Court, Section 10 officers opened a criminal file investigating offenses of battery or other violence, threat, and disturbing public order and peace. Following the interrogation, police ordered a 24-hour detention period and scheduled the 50-year-old man to appear before magistrates with a formal request for preventive arrest. The suspect previously received administrative sanctions from gendarmes in December 2025, after entering the Holocaust Memorial in Bucharest alongside several other individuals to deposit a small wreath and recite Christian prayers.
- Georgescu's father-in-law transfers funds to a businessman who later files a DIICOT complaint
- The suspect is sanctioned by gendarmes after entering the Bucharest Holocaust Memorial
- Bucharest Court of Appeal places Călin Georgescu under 30-day preventive arrest
- Supporter Cătălin Avrămuță strikes a gendarme outside Bucharest Central Arrest
- A 50-year-old supporter assaults two TV cameramen outside DIICOT and is detained
Broader fraud inquiry and detention protests
The DIICOT hearings are tied to an investigation into an alleged one million euro fraud that prompted the 30-day preventive detention of Călin Georgescu on 29 September 2026. The Bucharest Court of Appeal ordered his detention after overturning a lower court ruling that had placed the former candidate under judicial control. Anti-mafia prosecutors questioned Georgescu's father-in-law for approximately five hours and conducted computer searches on his electronic devices to examine an October 2023 funds transfer sent to the businessman who lodged the DIICOT complaint. Demonstrations by Georgescu's supporters have continued outside the Bucharest Central Arrest facility, where another supporter, Cătălin Avrămuță (known as Stegarul Dac), struck a gendarme in the back on 3 October 2026 during protests.
