Greek court orders pre-trial detention of Azeri accused of espionage

PHOTO CAPTION: Illustrative photo

ATHENS  -  A Greek court ordered the pre-trial detention on Wednesday of a 26-year-old Azeri man charged with espionage on the island of Crete which is home to a NATO military base, sources and the Athens News Agency said. 

The man, who has a temporary Polish residence permit, was arrested on Sunday on accusations of monitoring the base in Souda - a strategic facility for Greece, the United States and the NATO military alliance in the eastern Mediterranean. 

The Athens News Agency said the accused man had denied the charges, saying he was a tourist on holiday to Crete with two  companions. 

Police acted on information from the country's intelligence service, sources close to the investigation said, adding that he had been staying since June 18 in a hotel room with a view that extended to the naval and air force base in western Crete.  

During his arrest, police confiscated a high-resolution digital camera with a telephoto lens and USB sticks from his room and found that encryption software was installed on his laptop, the sources said. The evidence included videos and photographs of a Greek Navy frigate, they said. 

The investigation is still in progress and authorities are investigating whether the case is linked with the arrest of a British man in Cyprus on suspicion of terror-related offences and espionage. Israel accused Iran's Revolutionary Guards on Saturday of trying to attack Israeli citizens on the island.

 (Reporting by Yannis Souliotis; Writing by Renee Maltezou, Editing by Timothy Heritage // REUTERS)