Greece to extradite Algerian man linked to attack in Belgium

Man appears before Greek prosecutor, but does not contest extradition request

A police vehicle is seen in front of the appeals court in Athens. Photograph: Alkis Konstantinidis/Reuters
A police vehicle is seen in front of the appeals court in Athens. Photograph: Alkis Konstantinidis/Reuters

Greece will swiftly extradite a 33-year-old Algerian man who may be linked to a foiled Islamist militant plot to attack police in Belgium, court officials have said, after Brussels issued an arrest warrant.

The man appeared before a Greek prosecutor, but did not contest the extradition request. Police and court officials said he would be transferred to Belgium “immediately”, without providing further details.

He was among half-a-dozen people detained by Greek police on Saturday, two days after Belgian police raided a suspected Islamist group in the east Belgian town of Verviers and killed two gunmen.

The arrests were made in Greece after international security coordinators passed on the names of several people connected to the Belgian plot for checks as to whether they were in Greece or had passed through the country.