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🇸🇬 Singapore /Crime & Justice

Palestinian detained pending trial in Greece over suspected Hamas links

From The Straits Times · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources In the courts
  • Greek judges ordered the detention of a Palestinian man accused of belonging to a Hamas-linked network plotting attacks in Europe and Asia.
  • The 37-year-old suspect, arrested in Crete, denies wrongdoing, while his lawyer argues the evidence is thin and inconsistent.
  • The case is linked to the arrest of two other Palestinians in Cyprus, who allegedly received training on explosives and planned attacks in multiple countries.

A Palestinian man accused of being part of a Hamas-linked network has been ordered detained pending trial in Greece. The 37-year-old suspect, arrested on the island of Crete on June 6, denies any involvement in plotting attacks against Israeli targets in Europe and Asia.

Authorities stated that a joint operation by Greece's intelligence service and police anti-terrorism unit led to the arrest. During searches of his residences, police confiscated electronic devices and found evidence that he had ordered materials that could be used to make explosives, though he had not received them. His lawyer, Spyridon Pantazis, described the evidence as "tenuous" and "riddled with significant gaps," asserting that his client "bears no resemblance to the profile of a criminal or terrorist" and appears to be a scapegoat.

The defendant’s character, mindset and overall demeanour bear no resemblance to the profile of a criminal or terrorist. Rather, he appears to have been cast as a scapegoat in a case founded on tenuous evidence and riddled with significant gaps.

— Spyridon PantazisThe suspect's lawyer, arguing against the charges and the strength of the evidence.

The arrest in Greece is connected to the detention of two other Palestinians, aged 32 and 38, in Cyprus on May 22. Police in Cyprus reported finding explosive-making materials during searches of the suspects, who are under investigation for terrorism-related activities. Greek police sources indicate that the two cases are linked, with one of the Cypriot detainees reportedly telling authorities that their recruiters planned attacks in Greece, Cyprus, Turkey, Myanmar, Thailand, and Malaysia, where they received explosives training.

The 37-year-old man arrested in Crete had been living in Gaza for years before arriving in Greece in 2023 and being granted asylum. Investigations revealed he traveled to Malaysia in 2025, where he met one of the men later detained in Cyprus. Sources also suggest the detainees in Cyprus had met with Hamas members in Istanbul. Greek Citizen Protection Minister Michalis Chrysochoidis commented that these cases point to a broader network attempting to orchestrate terrorist acts in Europe.

The two cases point to a wider network trying to plan terrorist acts in Europe.

— Michalis ChrysochoidisGreek Citizen Protection Minister, commenting on the implications of the arrests.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by The Straits Times. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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