Greek police detain 3 NGO activists ‘for illegally aiding migrants’

Police in Greece said on Tuesday they had arrested three members of a Greek NGO on suspicion of helping migrants illegally enter the country. The members of Emergency Response Center International (ERCI) were detained on Lesbos, the Greek island with the most arrivals, AFP reported. Members of the group were in contact with migrants and refugees on social media groups and “actively assisted” their illegal entry into Greece from 2015 onwards, the statement said. To keep tabs on migrant flows, the accused also illegally monitored Greek coastguard and EU border agency Frontex radio traffic, according to officials. They say six Greeks and 24 foreign nationals were implicated in the case. Lesbos has been a key gateway into the EU since the start of the bloc’s migration crisis in 2015.