Croatia arrests German tourist for killing dog with hammer

A German tourist suspected of killing his dog with a hammer has been arrested in Croatia, police said Tuesday, adding that the man also damaged police station equipment and furniture.

The German was arrested in the northern port of Rijeka where he allegedly killed his dog by hitting him in the head with the hammer, a police statement said.

The crime occurred in a yard of a building during the weekend.

The 51-year-old man was under the influence of alcohol and also possessed several grams of ketamine drugs, the statement added.

After the arrest the suspect damaged some equipment and furniture at the police station.

The man came to Croatia as a tourist, a police spokeswoman told AFP.

Police have filed charges with prosecutors for killing and torturing animals, a crime that can carry up to a year in jail in Crotia.

The man was also charged with property damage and drug abuse.

The Adriatic country’s key tourism industry was hard-hit by the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 but registered encouraging figures this year. 

During the first seven months of the year some 6.3 million tourists visited Croatia, heading mainly to its pristine coastline.

It marked a more than 50-percent increase compared with the same period last year in the country of 4.2 million.

Most tourists have come from Germany, as has been the case in previous years.