Belgian terror suspect agrees to extradition "to prove innocence"
Xinhua, January 20, 2015 Adjust font size:
A man arrested in Greece on Saturday suspected of having connections to a terrorist conspiracy in Belgium said he is willing to be extradited to Belgium to prove his innocence, according to Belgian daily De Standaard.
The 33-year-old man was arrested in Greece on Saturday as part of a Europe-wide crackdown on suspected terrorist cells operating on the continent.
Upon his arrest, the Belgian authorities has requested his extradition through a European Arrest Warrant in the belief that he is connected to the terrorist cell that was broken up by the police in a series of raids on Thursday.
The man is believed to be an accomplice of the two men killed in a shoot-out with police in the eastern Belgian town of Verviers on Thursday, in which an arsenal of weapons and a significant amount of cash were recovered.
The suspect was caught in possession of a mobile phone on which he apparently sent messages to the brother of one of the men who was killed.
His identity has not yet been revealed.
He is believed to be in possession of an Algerian passport.
When appearing before a Greek magistrate on Tuesday, the suspect said that he wanted to be extradited to Belgium in order to prove his innocence.
The Greek Court of Appeal will deliver its verdict on whether or not the extradition can go ahead on Wednesday. Endit