Two people arrested in Rhodes on espionage charges
Dec 13, 2020
Athens [Greece], December 13 (ANI/Sputnik): Greek police have detained two people on Rhodes Island on suspicion of espionage, Hellenic Police said in a statement.
"The investigation of the case was carried out in close cooperation with the National Intelligence Service (NIS) and in coordination with the Rhodes security sub-directorate," police said.
According to the Attica Security Directorate, a case was filed against the two men for violating article 148 (espionage).
One of the suspects works as a cook on a passenger ship, operating ferry routes connecting Rhodes Island with the island of Megisti (Kastellorizo), while the second suspect works in the Turkish consulate in Rhodes, according to Sputnik Greece. Both of the suspects are Greek citizens.
Sputnik Greece reports that the ship cook had been under surveillance since August. He had taken photos of military facilities in Kastellorizo and cooperated with the suspect who works in the Turkish consulate. Criminal investigators are now analyzing data from a notebook and three phones found in the home of the Turkish consulate employee.
Turkey has been engaged in a long-standing maritime border dispute with Greece and Cyprus over the size of their exclusive economic zones in the Eastern Mediterranean. Athens and Nicosia have voiced their strong objection to the presence of Turkish exploration vessels in waters that both Greece and Cyprus claim to be part of their respective exclusive economic zones. (ANI/Sputnik)
