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Greek police arrest suspects linked to video of migrants [1]
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Date: 2023-08-24 12:15:29+02:00
Greek authorities apprehended several individuals linked to a disturbing video posted on social media on Tuesday showing a man holding a group of 13 illegally detained migrants. The individual who filmed the video alleged the migrants were responsible for the wildfires in northern Greece.
Greek authorities apprehended several individuals linked to a disturbing video posted on social media on Tuesday in the wake of wildfires that have devastated several areas around the country.
The video showed a man holding a group of 13 undocumented migrants in a cargo trailer being towed by a 4WD vehicle near the town of Alexandroupolis in northern Greece. The individual who filmed the video alleged the migrants were responsible for the wildfires in the area.
Among several claims, the individual in the video, as he opens the back of the trailer, says: "We are sleeping…I have gathered 24 of them, they will burn us all, do you see them?"
Along with the owner of the vehicle, who police say is Albanian, two Greek individuals were apprehended and are currently under detention due to suspected involvement.
Authorities say 'vigilante justice is unequivocally unacceptable'
The Hellenic Police released a statement affirming their collaboration with other governmental bodies to "actively and systematically strive to effectively guard the borders and to dismantle criminal networks involved in the trafficking of irregular migrants, while also ensuring compliance with legality with the aim to significantly mitigate the issue."
"The owner of the vehicle (a foreign national), who appears in the video pulling a trailer in which 13 illegal immigrants of Syrian and Pakistani origin were illegally detained, was identified, brought and detained at the Alexandroupolis Security Directorate," noted the statement.
According to the police, throughout the month of August, an average of approximately 900 illegal entries per day into the region of Evros on the northern land border with Turkey had been averted, leading to the apprehension of "hundreds of traffickers."
"Greece stands as a nation governed by the rule of law, built upon a solid democratic foundation, and guided by a humanitarian tradition. Any manifestation of vigilante justice remains unequivocally unacceptable," the statement concluded.
Migration Ministry mourns the lives of 18 migrants
In related developments, Greece's Migration Minister, Dimitris Kairides, released a media statement lamenting the tragic loss of 18 migrant lives in the Evros area to the wildfires that continue burning in Greece.
"It is with great sadness that we have learned of the death of at least 18 immigrants due to the fires in the forest of Dadia. Despite the constant and persistent efforts of the Greek authorities to protect the borders and human life, this tragedy confirms, once again, the dangers of irregular immigration," he said.
Kairides added: "In this context, we highlight and denounce, once again, the murderous activity of criminal traffickers (and those who facilitate them) and the trade of illegal migration, which is what endangers the lives of many migrants both on land and at sea every day."
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[1] Url:
https://www.infomigrants.net/en/post/51338/greek-police-arrest-suspects-linked-to-video-of-migrants
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