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Police in Germany have arrested a truck driver accused within the crash final 12 months that killed skilled bike owner Davide Rebellin
ROME — Police in Germany arrested a truck driver accused within the crash in Italy final 12 months that killed skilled bike owner Davide Rebellin and had been holding him pending extradition proceedings, prosecutors in each nations mentioned Saturday.
Wolfgang Rieke is accused of street murder and leaving the scene of a crash. Vicenza prosecutor Lino Giorgio Bruno mentioned he was arrested Thursday in Muenster on a European arrest warrant. German authorities mentioned he had surrendered.
Rebellin, one among biking’s longest-serving professionals, was killed Nov. 30 throughout a coaching run close to the northern Italian city of Montebello Vicentino. On the time, Italian media reported the truck that struck him hadn’t stopped. However prosecutors, citing roadside video and witness pictures, mentioned the motive force stopped, bought out of the cab and approached Rebellin, after which bought again within the truck and left the scene.
The investigation recognized the truck as belonging to a delivery agency based mostly in Recke, Germany, and Rieke as the motive force, Bruno mentioned in an announcement. After the crash, the truck continued on to its vacation spot in Verona and returned to Germany on Dec. 3. After that, the crimson trailer allegedly concerned within the crash was indifferent from the tractor and changed with a white one with totally different identification plates, prosecutors mentioned.
After authorities seized the truck, specialists recognized harm in keeping with the collision and decided the automobile had been cleaned with a concentrated, extremely acidic detergent, prosecutors mentioned. Contained in the cab had been functioning video cameras and mirrors that might have given the motive force the required direct and oblique view of the bike owner, the assertion mentioned.
Whereas Rebellin was discovered to have violated street guidelines requiring him to present priority to the truck, “such a violation had no causal impact” on the crash given the period of time between Rebellin’s violations and the crash, the assertion mentioned, citing the decide’s arrest warrant.
The suspect surrendered to authorities in Steinfurt, close to Muenster, on Thursday, accompanied by his protection lawyer, senior public prosecutor Elmar Pleus of the Hamm prosecutor normal’s workplace advised the German information company dpa in an e-mail.
He’s at present being held in extradition custody based mostly on a detention order issued by the native court docket in Rheine, Pleus advised The Related Press in an e-mail. Pleus added {that a} choice by Hamm prosecutors on Italy’s extradition request was being ready, however there was no phrase on how lengthy it would take.
Emails and calls to Meunster police looking for the title and phone info for Rieke’s lawyer weren’t instantly returned.
Rebellin had solely retired from skilled biking a month earlier than the crash, ending a 30-year profession together with his ultimate crew Work Service-Vitalcare-Dynatek. Rebellin’s successes included victories at Paris-Good and Tirreno-Adriatico in addition to profitable a stage within the 1996 version of the Giro d’Italia, which he additionally led for six phases.
Rebellin gained silver within the street race on the 2008 Olympic Video games, however he was later stripped of his medal and banned for 2 years after a optimistic doping check. He had denied wrongdoing.
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Kirsten Grieshaber contributed from Berlin.
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