×
GreekEnglish

×
  • Politics
  • Diaspora
  • World
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Cooking
Thursday
30
Apr 2026
weather symbol
Athens 16°C
  • Home
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • World
  • Diaspora
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Mediterranean Cooking
  • Weather
Contact follow Protothema:
Powered by Cloudevo
> Greece

Brussels and Paris terrorists used Greece as gateway into Europe

Intelligence reports says ISIS terrorists use refugee flows to enter Europe

Newsroom April 2 11:32

According to confidential reports by European and US intelligence agencies, Greece has turned into a gateway for islamist terrorists planning hits in European cities. The reports say that most of the terrorists that carried out attacks in Paris and Brussels crossed into central Europe via the refugee flows coming into Greece, avoiding the use of their EU passports since they were under surveillance by EU authorities. The islands of Leros, Chos and Lesvos in the eastern Aegean are the entry points of EU citizens of Middle Eastern origin, as well as Syrian and Iraqi fanatic Islamist jihadists fighting in the Syrian and Iraqi conflicts. About 500 jihadists with EU passports received combat experience in the Syrian war between 2012-2015 and are returning via the refugee flows to Europe to undertake attacks in the upcoming months, say the reports. Greece is not considered a target for the islamists, but the open border policy adopted by the left SYRIZA government has lead to tens of thousands of desperate and disenfranchised refugees and illegal immigrants being trapped in the county, making Greece a ‘fertile’ recruiting ground for the fanatic islamists. The report says that the terrorists involved in the Paris and Brussels attacks had been traveling in and out of Greece planning the attacks in France and Belgium. Two of the Stade de France terrorist attackers in Paris had been rescued by the Greek coastguard near the island of Farmakonisi before subsequently traveling to France, while the Brussels metro station suicide bomber, Halid al Bakraoui travelled to Athens via Italy from Belgium on July 25 2015 where he met up with his brother Ibrahim. The leader of the Paris attacks, Adbelslam was in Greece on August 1 via Patras and Italy. In Patras he reportedly came in contact with other members of the group who entered Greece directly via Syria with the refugee flows.

Ask me anything

Explore related questions

> More Greece

Follow en.protothema.gr on Google News and be the first to know all the news

See all the latest News from Greece and the World, the moment they happen, at en.protothema.gr

> Latest Stories

UN: Athens calls on Ankara to respect international agreements, term “Turkish Straits” inconsistent with Montreux Convention

April 29, 2026

May Day: Metro, Electric Railway, Tram, trains and ferries come to a halt – how buses will operate

April 29, 2026

Metron Analysis: ND at 28.6% with losses, PASOK at 15%, gains for Tsipras, decline for Karystianou

April 29, 2026

“Emily in Paris” officially to film in Mykonos in May, with Mitsotakis seal of approval – What he said at Cabinet

April 29, 2026

Ministry of Culture: Restoration and enhancement of the acropolis of Ancient Pelinna in Thessaly

April 29, 2026

Trump rejects Iranian proposal: “We will not lift naval blockade without a nuclear deal”

April 29, 2026

Tripartite Greece–Bulgaria–Turkey meeting in Athens on migration: “strict line and measurable results,” says Plevris

April 29, 2026

Brown and purple jellyfish fill the Euboean Gulf — video shows hundreds along the coast

April 29, 2026
All News

> Greece

In reverence, the emotional deposition in Jerusalem, see photos & video

The Holy Temple of the Resurrection opened after many days due to the war between Israel and Iran

April 10, 2026

In the final stretch for the accreditation of joint master’s degrees: Aiming for their launch in the coming academic year

April 10, 2026

Schedule for Epitaph Procession today (10/4)

April 10, 2026

Perfect weather for Easter excursions, according to Tsatrafyllia’s forecast

April 10, 2026

Easter in Greece: The customs that continue in Greek tradition – From Nafpaktos to Corfu

April 10, 2026
Homepage
PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION POLICY COOKIES POLICY TERM OF USE
Powered by Cloudevo
Copyright © 2026 Πρώτο Θέμα