Ten undocumented Syrian migrants who were disguised as a Ukrainian volleyball team were stopped and arrested on Sunday by Greek police.
All were arrested at Athens’ Eleftherios Venizelos airport after border security officials found the Ukrainian passports they were carrying had been reported stolen or lost. They also said the disguises being worn betrayed their true identities, DW reports.
The detainees were dressed in identical athletic uniforms, and carried identical sports bags as well as two volleyballs, police said.
After questioning, police determined that the men were not a volleyball team. They detained them and sent them to an examining magistrate to face charges of trying to illegally enter the country using stolen or lost travel documents.
The men were planning to travel to Switzerland and claim asylum, police said.
Migrants entering and leaving Greece often make great efforts to reach other destinations.
According to the latest official numbers, there are more than 26,600 asylum seekers in camps on Lesbos, Chios and Samos, the Greek islands at the forefront of the illegal migrant influx.
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