Greek Authorities Question Belgium Attack Plot Suspects

Greek Authorities Question Belgium Attack Plot Suspects

BRUSSELS/ATHENS, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Greek authorities have detained several people for questioning in connection with the foiled Islamist plot to attack Belgian police, Greek police said on Saturday.

If enough evidence was produced during the questioning, Greek authorities would send DNA samples to their Belgian colleagues for further investigation, a Greek police official said.

Earlier on Saturday, Belgian state broadcasters said authorities were seeking a Brussels man of Moroccan origin who was hiding in Greece.

Greek police said international security coordinators had passed on the names of several people in connection with the plot in Belgium to check if they were in Greece or had passed through the country.

They did not comment on whether the man named by Belgian media was on that list.

A spokesman for the Brussels prosecutors' office was not available to comment on the events in Greece.

On Thursday, police killed two gunmen during raids in the east Belgian town of Verviers.

Thirteen suspects were subsequently arrested throughout the country and two others held in France on Belgium's request.

In the aftermath of Thursday's raids, Belgium raised its national alert level and deployed hundreds of troops to back up police and protect embassies, EU institutions and Jewish sites. (Reporting by Robert-Jan Bartunek in Brussels, Lefteris Papadimas and George Georgiopoulos in Athens; Editing by Alison Williams)

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