A Dutch performer was disqualified from Saturday's Grand Final of the annual Eurovision Song Contest after a female member of the show's production crew filed a complaint against him with local police.
Joost Klein, 26, had been a favorite among bookies to win this year's major competition with his Euro-techno tune "Europapa," the Associated Press reported Saturday.
The complaint involves an allegation of intimidation, the BBC reported, citing a Swedish police spokesperson who said a man had been reported for making "unlawful threats" at the Malmo Arena in Sweden following Thursday's semi-final.
"The police have taken all essential investigative measures and questioned the suspect, plaintiff and witnesses," the spokesperson said. "The investigation has been completed by the police ... and the case will now go to the prosecutor within a few weeks."
The European Broadcasting Union, which organizes the popular annual TV singing tournament, said Klein would not be competing on Saturday due to its "zero-tolerance policy" against "inappropriate" behavior.
Klein's ouster marked the closest to the final that any contestant has been disqualified and it's unlikely he'll be replaced due to the difficulty of adding new, last-minute elements to the production, the BBC said.
The Dutch company AVROTROS, one of dozens of public broadcasters that fund and televise the contest, said it was "shocked by the decision," AP said.
It also issued a statement that Klein said was recorded without consent when he came offstage after Thursday's semifinal and made an alleged "threatening movement" toward the camera in response.
AVROTROS said Klein didn't touch the camera or its operator, and called his disqualification a "very heavy and disproportionate" punishment.
