Migrants dressed as volleyball team nabbed by Greek police

Greek police have arrested 10 migrants dressed as a volleyball team at Athens airport before they could fly to Switzerland after their passports didn't match.

Greek police released a picture of the group in their outfits, holding two volleyballs.

Greek police released a picture of the group in their outfits, holding two volleyballs. Source: BBC/Police handout

Ten migrants posing as a volleyball team were arrested at Athens' International Airport trying to travel with illegally obtained passports, Greek police said on Sunday.

Police said the migrants, who had entered Greece without legal documents, arrived at the Eleftherios Venizelos airport on Saturday hoping the disguise would get them past controls more easily.

They wore matching outfits, carried matching sports bags and, for good measure, brought two volleyballs.

But border police established that the passports they presented had been illegally obtained, and arrested the group.
According to police sources, they are Syrian nationals who had hoped to travel to Zurich with Ukrainian passports.

Migrants arriving in Greece often make great efforts to slip through closed Greek frontiers to reach other destinations.

According to the latest official numbers, there are more than 26,600 asylum seekers in overcrowded camps on Lesbos, Chios and Samos, the Greek islands at the forefront of the migrant influx.

 


Share
1 min read

Published

Updated



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world
Migrants dressed as volleyball team nabbed by Greek police | SBS News