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‘Volleyball team’ of Syrian migrants arrested after posing as sportsmen to enter Europe

TEN migrants were arrested at Athens airport trying to sneak into Europe posing as a top volleyball team booked to play in a tournament.

Cops say the chancers touched down in the Greek capital wearing matching tracksuits and were even carrying sports bags and balls.
However, they said the men - thought to be Syrian nationals - were trying to travel on to Switzerland using passports that clearly did not belong to them.

It is believed that the group had eventually hoped to make it to Zurich with their dodgy Ukrainian documents.

Greece has become a preferred gateway for thousands of migrants attempting to make it to other countries in the continent.

So far this year, some 36,000 people have entered the country through its sea and land borders, already surpassing last year’s influx of around 32,000.

During the same period, the other two European frontline countries  - Spain and Italy - have received a total of 26,000.

Earlier this week Turkey, home to 3.6m Syrians, warned it would "be forced to open the gates" if it did not receive support to establish a refugee 'safe zone' in Syria.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said millions of refugees could return to their country to live in the north, but that international co-operation was needed for that to happen.

Tens of thousands of Syrians have already fled north from Idlib, a province held by rebel and jihadist forces, to the Turkish border.

Under a 2016 agreement with the EU, Turkey imposed stronger controls to curb the flow of migrants and refugees to Europe.

The Sun

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