2024-07-04 23:18:38
Greek anti-terror police have arrested seven people for arson attacks at a Jewish-owned hotel and a synagogue in central Athens this year, Reuters reported.
A 25-year-old Greek woman, two Iranian men, aged 46 and 36, and an Afghan accomplice, 44, were arrested for a May 15 IED attack on a building housing an Israeli hotel and restaurant.
The four are charged with arson which could potentially endanger human life and causing damage to property owned by foreign nationals in a racially motivated attack.
In another incident on June 18, a 44-year-old Greek man and a 26-year-old Afghan woman drove past a synagogue in Athens on a motorcycle and threw flammable material at its entrance, starting a fire, Greek police said. A police official said a 30-year-old Iranian man had been arrested for complicity.
The three are charged with arson, possession of a weapon, robbery and more, authorities said.
Police confiscated evidence, including mobile phones, found in a home in Athens and in a prison, BTA reports.
Five of those arrested are in custody and two have been released on bail pending trial.
In March 2023, Greek police arrested two men suspected of being members of a group that planned an arson and bomb attack on an Israeli restaurant and the same synagogue in Athens, Reuters recalls. Israel’s Mossad intelligence service praised Greece for thwarting the attack and accused Iran of orchestrating the operation.