Off the wire
• Philippine gov't vows to provide more help to farmers affected by El Nino  • Spring Festival holiday passenger trips hit record high  • Mainland donates 5 million yuan for Taiwan quake relief  • Namibia to attend Rio Paralympics despite Zika  • Zheng wins qualifier at Dubai Championships  • (Sports) West Indies beat India to lift ICC under-19 World Cup  • Pakistan rejects Indian objection at U.S. F-16 deal  • 1st LD: Syria slams Turkey for shelling Syrian territory  • Inclusive development needed to ensure security in Africa: officials  • Iran's president to visit Turkey for talks on mutual cooperation: envoy  
You are here: 　 Home

1st LD Writethru: Three suspected terrorists arrested in northern Greece near border with Turkey

Xinhua, February 14, 2016 Adjust font size:

Three terrorist suspects of Iraqi origin, holders of British passports, have been arrested in northern Greece near the border crossing with Turkey.

They were arrested for illegal possession of a large number of firearms and ammunition as suspects for participating in a criminal organization and terrorism acts, Greek authorities announced on Sunday.

Earlier local media, citing police sources, had reported that the discovery of the two dozens firearms and more than 240,000 bullets had raised the alarm whether the detained are members of a jihadist group.

Following exchange of information with other European authorities on their identities, Greek authorities believe that they are Iraqi Kurds who intended to sell the guns and ammunition in northern Iraq, Greek national news agency AMNA reported, citing Greek national intelligence sources.

The first two suspects, aged 35 and 36, were detained on Saturday after Coast Guard officers discovered 18 firearms and about 40,000 bullets in their car at the port of Alexandroupolis, according to a Greek Coast Guard press release.

The third suspect, 40, was arrested near the customs office at the borderline with Turkey when police found four firearms and about 200,000 bullets in his trailer, according to press statement.

The three suspects have no previous criminal records, stayed in a hotel in Alexandroupolis for eight days and were delivering the load from Germany or Austria to the Turkish-Iraqi borders, according to Greek police sources.

Within the week they will be brought before a local prosecutor to be formally charged with participation in a criminal organization, terrorist activities, illegal possession and transferring of guns, the official announcement said.

Three weeks ago in the same region Greek police arrested two suspected jihadists holding Swedish passports.

The two men, a 30-year-old Bosnian and a 20-year-old Yemeni, were apprehended at the central bus station of Alexandroupolis when policemen discovered knives in their luggage.

After exchange of information with other European authorities it was revealed that the Bosnian suspect had been sentenced in 2005 in Bosnia to 15 years of imprisonment for planning to attack the U.S. embassy in the country on behalf of an al Qaeda-linked group. He was released in 2011 and sought political asylum in Sweden. Endit