A 55-year-old Greek national who was arrested in Koptero, Rodopi, remains in custody following the execution of a European arrest warrant issued by the German authorities. He is accused of attempted sabotage against German naval vessels in Hamburg.

The man was brought in the morning to the Thrace Court of Appeal Prosecutor’s Office so that the European arrest warrant could be activated and the procedures concerning Germany’s request for his extradition could be initiated. The competent Thrace Court of Appeal Council will decide on the extradition in the coming period, according to sources from the Hellenic Police (EL.AS.). Until then, he will remain detained in Komotini prison.

The European arrest warrant was issued last October and concerns seven cases of attempted sabotage involving five different warships under construction at the facilities of the German shipbuilding company Blohm & Voss. The company operates at the Port of Hamburg and is one of the most important maritime and shipbuilding hubs in Europe.

According to the Hamburg Public Prosecutor’s Office, in addition to the 55-year-old, a 38-year-old Romanian national is also accused in the same case; he was arrested in Germany. The investigation by German law-enforcement authorities indicates that the two men were working under service contracts for a local company group that, among other activities, provides surface protection and anti-corrosion services for ships.

At the center of the German authorities’ investigation, as reported by German media, was—among other incidents—an event in early 2025 in which 20 kilograms of blasting abrasive material were found inside the engine block of the corvette Emden. A second incident appears to be linked to the corvette Köln, where the two men allegedly shut down a main switch in June of the same year, cutting off the power supply. German media report that the acts were detected in time and that serious damage to the vessels was prevented.