Greek man accused of spying at NATO transit hub has been charged and jailed pending trial

THESSALONIKI, Greece (AP) — A man was charged in Greece Friday with espionage-related offences and jailed pending trial after allegedly photographing and videotaping military operations at the strategic port of Alexandroupolis in northeastern Greece.

The port serves as a key logistics hub for U.S. and NATO operations, facilitating the movement of military equipment and personnel in support of Ukraine and NATO member states in eastern Europe.

The suspect, who has not been named, was arrested earlier this week in a joint operation by the police and Greece’s National Intelligence Service. Authorities said he was “acting on behalf of another individual” and had sent the recordings to that person using an encrypted messaging app, but provided no further details.

According to state television, citing Greek law enforcement officials, the suspect is a 59-year-old Greek citizen born in Georgia and is under investigation for potential ties to Russian security services through a contact in Lithuania.

Escorted by police officers on Friday, the suspect appeared before a magistrate in Alexandroupolis for a preliminary hearing as part of the ongoing judicial investigation. Judicial authorities said he denied all charges, adding that no trial date has been set.