(Copenhagen) The Dutch Eurovision Song Contest contestant who was spectacularly evicted hours before the grand final will likely be charged with making illegal threats, Swedish police said Monday.
Joost Klein failed to attend two dress rehearsals on Friday and the organizer, the European Broadcasting Union, said police were investigating a complaint made by “a female member of the production team” during the competition in the Swedish city of Malmö.
Police spokesman Jimmy Modin told The Associated Press that its investigation into the incident was complete and a decision on charges should be made “within a few weeks.” He did not give details on the nature of the threats alleged against the Dutch artist.
This year’s edition of the competition was marked by large protests against Israel’s participation, which transformed a normally joyful musical celebration into a tense event due to the war in the Gaza Strip.
Details of what happened behind the scenes are unknown.
The tabloid Aftonbladet reported, citing an anonymous source, that Klein, at one point, was stressed by all the photographers and asked them to stop filming. When a photographer approached, he raised his arm with a fist and lunged at the photographer, the newspaper said.
Daily life Sydsvenskaa Malmö newspaper, said that the offense of threatening usually carries fines if convicted.
“We expect there will probably be a prosecution,” Emil Andersson, the police officer in charge of the case, told Swedish television channel SVT. He also said an “expedited prosecution” legal process would likely be involved as long as the altercation did not involve a more serious crime.
The average length of an investigation in expedited prosecution cases is six to eight weeks.
The last-minute disqualification was unprecedented in the 68-year history of Eurovision.
The 26-year-old Dutch singer and rapper was the favorite of observers, as well as admirers with his song Europaan optimistic Eurotechno ode to diversity across continents, which is also a tribute to Klein’s parents, who died when he was a child.
Klein is said to have already left Sweden.
The 68e edition of the competition was won by the Swiss Nemo.