Greek police have arrested a 37-year-old Palestinian man on the holiday island of Crete, accusing him of plotting to bomb a cruise ship as part of a suspected Hamas terrorist plot. The suspect, who was born in Gaza but lives legally in Greece, works in a hotel in Agios Nikolaos with regular access to foreign tourists. Authorities said he joined Hamas and travelled to Malaysia to be trained by the militant group, and that he planned to attack Israeli targets in a European country, potentially by bombing a cruise ship.
He was detained on Saturday afternoon after intelligence from Cyprus prompted the operation. According to police, the man had plotted and ordered materials for the attack and admitted having contact with other suspected terrorists. Greek media reported that he may have been planning to target an Israeli cruise ship set to arrive on Crete on Tuesday.
“A 37-year-old Hamas suspect is arrested in Crete for allegedly plotting to bomb a cruise ship.”
Intelligence agents carried out searches at his home in Athens and at locations in Crete, seizing mobile phones, a laptop, external hard drives, bank cards, and laboratory equipment. State TV ERT said police also found chemicals that could be used to make a bomb. The suspect will appear before a magistrate on Sunday.
His arrest is linked to the detention of four other Palestinian men in Cyprus, who are also being investigated on terrorism-related charges. Cypriot authorities placed two men in custody on May 22 after alarming intelligence findings, discovering bomb-making materials in two residences used by one of them. The other two were detained on May 29 as part of the same investigation. The Cyprus arrests are connected to bomb attacks in Jerusalem.