Former kickboxing champion Badr Hari has been taken into custody in Amsterdam following allegations of assaulting his ex-girlfriend, marking another controversial chapter in the athlete’s troubled history.
The Amsterdam police confirmed that a 40-year-old Amsterdam resident was arrested on Sunday in connection with an assault case. “The report of the assault came in on Sunday,” a police spokesperson stated. The arrest was not made at the scene of the incident, and authorities have not released additional details as the investigation continues.
This isn’t the first time Hari has faced legal troubles. His most significant conviction stemmed from a 2012 incident involving businessman Koen Everink at the Sensation White event in Amsterdam Arena. The Netherlands Forensic Institute determined that the impact of the assault was equivalent to being struck by a horse or experiencing a car collision. The case resulted in a two-year prison sentence for Hari in 2017, with ten months suspended.
During the Everink trial, the court also examined evidence relating to allegations involving Hari’s then ex-girlfriend Rosa. Although she didn’t file charges, text messages she sent to a friend were presented as evidence. “Badr went on a rampage,” one message read. “He lost control. I’m covered in bruises. It’ll take a while before I can wear a bikini again. I have a concussion, and the house is a wreck.” Hari was subsequently acquitted of these allegations.
In recent years, Hari’s public profile has been primarily associated with his professional sports career, including high-profile matches against Rico Verhoeven in 2016 and 2019, both of which he lost. Verhoeven reflected on their rivalry, saying, “The rivalry between Badr and me really put kickboxing and Glory on the map. Everyone wanted to see this, from sports fans to people who normally don’t watch kickboxing.”
Hari remains in police custody as authorities continue their investigation into the current allegations.
