Syrian migrants posing as volleyball team intercepted

Dressed in the same sports outfit, ten Syrian migrants trying to fly to Zurich in Switzerland were stopped at Athens airport on Sunday (September 22) despite being disguised as a volleyball team.

Hoping that their disguise would help them cross the border, the ten men, who also carried two volleyballs and the same kit bags, were unmasked during the identity check at Eleftherios Venizelos airport.

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 exit the country using stolen or lost travel documents.

Greece became one of the main gateways for Syrian refugees entering Europe in recent years.

People arriving in Greece make efforts to slip through the frontiers to reach other destinations, mainly in wealthier countries in northern Europe.

According to the latest official figures, more than 26,600 asylum-seekers are currently packed in crowded camps on the Greek islands of Lesbos, Chios and Samos.

Greece is hosting more than 60,000 mostly Syrian refugees and migrants, according to UNHCR.

Based on AP, Swissinfo