A 37-year-old Palestinian man arrested in Agios Nikolaos, Crete, on Saturday, where he was residing for seasonal work, has denied all allegations linking him to Hamas or to preparatory actions for a planned terrorist attack.
He is being held in custody by judicial order after Greek authorities raised suspicions regarding his possible involvement with the Islamist organization and alleged preparatory activity for an attack in Greece. In his defense, the suspect insisted he was never a member of Hamas and had no intention of participating in any violent or terrorist act.
Investigators in Greece and Cyprus are examining what they describe as a possible active Hamas-linked network operating across Greece, Cyprus and Malaysia. Authorities believe the 37-year-old may have had an accomplice as part of a wider structure under investigation.
The suspect said he found himself “accidentally” in a situation he tried to escape, and stressed that his contacts with Hamas-related individuals stemmed from earlier personal relationships in Gaza, where the group was the governing authority during the time he lived there.
Addressing a trip to Malaysia that investigators suspect may have involved training, he said he traveled due to severe financial hardship while trying to support his wife and child in Gaza. He claimed he was misled by individuals whose exact role he does not fully know, and that he was asked to learn how to manufacture explosive devices, something he said alarmed him.
