Greek authorities arrest two men among refugees on suspicion of ties to ISIS: official

Two men who claimed to be Syrian refugees were arrested on Tuesday among the incoming refugees at Kos island on suspicion of ties to ISIS, Greek Coast Guard announced on Wednesday.

An investigation was underway as the two persons were to be transferred to Athens.

The two suspects raised suspicions during the registration process at Kos, according to Coast Guard officials.

Authorities discovered photographs of hooded men with ISIS flags and guns on their mobile phones, Greek daily "Eleftheros Typos" (Free Press) reported, citing Greek national intelligence sources. According to the newspaper, one of the suspects was clearly posing with an ISIS flag in one of the photos.

In the light of the deadly terrorist attacks in France last week, Greek authorities have boosted security measures at possible targets and continue the screening of incoming refugees under EU rules, Deputy Migration Policy Minister Yannis Mouzalas said, stressing that refugees should not pay the price for the actions of extremists.

The discovery of a Syrian passport next to the body of a suspect in Paris fueled concern on Saturday that jihadists may be hiding among the thousands of people fleeing the war in Syria and other countries.

Greek authorities have verified that the owner of the passport passed through Leros island in early October before continuing his trip to Serbia and other European countries.

More than 620,000 refugees and migrants have landed on the Greek islands since the start of 2015 from Turkey, many of them are Syrians who continue their journey to other more prosperous European countries to apply for asylum. Endit