Greece Arrests 7, Including 2 Iranians, over Arson Attacks on Israeli-owned Hotel

Police officers patrol alongside a steel wall at Evros river, near the Greek village of Poros. (AP file photo)
Police officers patrol alongside a steel wall at Evros river, near the Greek village of Poros. (AP file photo)
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Greece Arrests 7, Including 2 Iranians, over Arson Attacks on Israeli-owned Hotel

Police officers patrol alongside a steel wall at Evros river, near the Greek village of Poros. (AP file photo)
Police officers patrol alongside a steel wall at Evros river, near the Greek village of Poros. (AP file photo)

Greece's anti-terrorism police have arrested seven people over arson attacks against an Israeli-owned hotel and a synagogue in central Athens this year, police said in a statement on Thursday.

A 25-year-old Greek woman, two Iranians aged 46 and 36 and an Afghan accomplice, 44, were arrested over a May 15 attack with a makeshift incendiary bomb on a building housing an Israeli-owned hotel and restaurant, according to Reuters.

The four were accused of arson that could potentially put human lives at risk and of causing damage to foreign-owned property in a racially motivated attack.

In another incident on June 18, a 44-year old Greek man and a 26-year old Afghan rode near a synagogue in Athens on a motorcycle and threw flammable material at its entrance causing fire, police said. A police official said a 30-year-old Iranian had been arrested as their accomplice.

The three were accused of arson, gun possession and robbery among other violations, the official added.

Police have seized evidence including mobile phones found in a residence in Athens and a prison.

Five of those arrested have been detained and two released on restrictions while awaiting trial.



Poland Charges Ukrainian with Spying for Russia

Flag of Poland.
Flag of Poland.
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Poland Charges Ukrainian with Spying for Russia

Flag of Poland.
Flag of Poland.

Prosecutors in Poland have charged a Ukrainian man who was born in Russia with participating in activities linked to Russian intelligence, they said on Tuesday.
The Polish Internal Security Agency had detained the man earlier in March, and a district court in Warsaw decided at the time to detain him for three months, according to Reuters.
"The suspect's activities consisted in reconnaissance of military facilities in Poland on behalf of the aforementioned intelligence," prosecutors said in a statement, adding it was a crime punishable by imprisonment from five to 30 years.
Warsaw's support for Kyiv in its defense against Russia's invasion has made Poland a target for Russian espionage and sabotage. Prosecutors
indicted two men in November in a case tied to cooperation with Belarusian intelligence services.
"The suspect admitted to committing the act he was charged with and provided an explanation in which he described the ideological motives for his activities resulting from his ties with Russia," prosecutors said.