Key facts
- A 37-year-old Palestinian man has been ordered detained pending trial in Greece.
- He is accused of being part of a Hamas-linked network planning attacks in Europe and Asia.
- Evidence includes ordered materials for making explosives.
- The case is linked to two other Palestinian men arrested in Cyprus for similar activities.
- Suspects reportedly received training on explosives and planned attacks in multiple countries.
Greek judges have ordered the detention of a 37-year-old Palestinian man pending trial, who is accused of being part of a network linked to Hamas and plotting attacks against Israeli targets in Europe and Asia. The suspect was arrested on the island of Crete on June 6 following a joint operation by Greece's intelligence service and police anti-terrorism unit.
Investigators confiscated electronic devices and found evidence that the suspect had ordered materials that could be used to make explosives online, though these had not been received. His lawyer stated the evidence was thin and inconsistent, arguing his client was being made a scapegoat.
The arrest in Greece follows the detention of two other Palestinians, aged 32 and 38, in Cyprus on May 22 for terrorism-related activities, after explosive-making materials were found. Greek police sources indicate the two cases are linked. One of the Cyprus suspects reportedly told authorities that their recruiters planned attacks in Greece, Cyprus, Turkey, Myanmar, Thailand, and Malaysia, where they received training.
The Palestinian arrested in Crete arrived in Greece in 2023 after living in Gaza and had been granted asylum. He had traveled to Malaysia in 2025, where he met one of the men later detained in Cyprus. The detainees in Cyprus had met Hamas members in Istanbul. Greek Citizen Protection Minister Michalis Chrysochoidis suggested the cases point to a wider network attempting to plan terrorist acts in Europe. The two suspects in Cyprus are facing terrorism-linked charges and membership in an outlawed organization, with their arraignment set for August 6.