Greek counter-terrorism authorities have arrested a 37-year-old Palestinian man in the Cretan port town of Agios Nikolaos, following intelligence that he was preparing to bomb a cruise ship scheduled to carry Israeli tourists to the island. Investigators allege the man was acting as an operative for Hamas.
The arrest, made on Saturday (Greek time), was the product of a closely coordinated and classified operation between Greece’s National Intelligence Service (EYP) and the country’s Anti-Terrorist Unit. Authorities moved swiftly, detaining the suspect just days before the targeted vessel was due to dock in Crete on Tuesday.
Under questioning, the man reportedly claimed he had initially planned the attack but subsequently abandoned the idea. Greek security officials are treating that account with considerable scepticism, and the threat is being assessed at the highest level of severity.
The Cyprus connection
The arrest in Crete was made possible in large part by a parallel investigation unfolding in Cyprus. Roughly two weeks earlier, Cypriot authorities had detained four individuals believed to be planning attacks against Israeli targets within the European Union — actions allegedly driven by the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
The alleged terrorist, who was detained in Crete, had arrived in Greece approximately one year ago and held an active asylum application at the time of his arrest.
During that investigation, intelligence officers examined mobile phones seized from the Cypriot suspects. A single phone number emerged as a critical thread, one that led Greek counter-terrorism units directly to the 37-year-old living quietly on Crete.
Security officials from both countries established that suspects in the two separate cases had attended the same training camp located outside the Gaza Strip. The focus of that training, according to authorities, was the manufacture of improvised explosive devices using chemical materials.
Officials in Nicosia have described the Cyprus cell as deeply troubling. Two of the four individuals arrested there had been living on the island for years and had reportedly obtained Cypriot citizenship. One suspect has already admitted to having planned attacks against Israeli interests.
A quiet life, a hidden purpose
The alleged terrorist, who was detained in Crete, had arrived in Greece approximately one year ago and held an active asylum application at the time of his arrest. He had found seasonal work at a hotel in Agios Nikolaos and, by local accounts, was deliberate in keeping a low profile — he had no family on the island and gave those around him little reason for suspicion.
In the hours following Saturday’s arrest, Greek counter-terrorism officers conducted simultaneous raids on two properties: his current residence in Crete and a former address in the Patissia neighbourhood of Athens. The searches yielded a significant haul of potential evidence.
Among the items confiscated were chemical substances and laboratory measuring equipment, multiple mobile phones, laptops and USB storage drives, as well as bank cards and financial documents. No assembled explosive devices or firearms were recovered.
Investigators believe the suspect had nearly completed his preparations and was on the verge of acquiring the final components needed to construct the device when Greek intelligence closed in.
