Greek police arrest Syrian over suspected Islamic State link
THESSALONIKI, Greece: Greek police said yesterday they have arrested a Syrian over suspected links to the Islamic State, after his wife lodged a complaint of domestic violence and said he was a jihadist supporter.
The 32-year- old, who denies everything, was arrested on Thursday in Alexandroupoli in northeastern Greece, where he had registered with asylum authorities.
“There is an investigation into whether (the suspect) participated in terrorist acts outside Greece in the past, and at what level,” a police statement said.
Police searched the couple’s home in Thessaloniki in northern Greece after the woman filed a complaint.
Officers found data on his phone that they said support the allegations of IS links, a police official told AFP.
According to state agency ANA, this includes footage of IS torture and executions.
But the suspect told reporters that the accusations were ‘all lies’.
“I am not an IS member, I have a wife and children,” said the man, who is believed to have been a former policeman.
Police said they had earlier prevented a suicide attempt after the man was found coiling his cell blanket into a makeshift rope.
The couple arrived in Greece in June 2016, landing on the island of Leros following the peak of the migrant crisis. — AFP