ATHENS, 28 December 2005 — Five Pakistani immigrants yesterday initiated legal proceedings against Greek and British agents whom they allege illegally abducted and interrogated them following the London bombings in July, their lawyer said.
The lawyer, Frangiskos Ragoussis, said some of his clients had been beaten by their abductors, who the Pakistanis claimed had included “one or two foreigners speaking English.”
He said that his clients had accused specific agents of “abduction” and “torture”.
The move followed a report in weekly newspaper To Proto Thema, which on Saturday said that seven Greek intelligence agents, the Athens station chief of MI6, the British overseas intelligence agency, and another British agent had taken part in the alleged abductions.
Prosecuting magistrate Nikos Vegaitis told reporters Dec. 19 that eight immigrants had testified to criminal investigators that they were taken from their homes in Athens shortly after the London attacks July 7 by men who said they were police officers.
In London, the government instructed British newspapers not to reveal the identity of the two men.
To Proto Thema newspaper also published the names of seven people it described as operatives of the Greek Intelligence Service (EYP) whom it said had taken part in the abduction and interrogation of up to 28 immigrants.
In London, a spokeswoman for the Foreign Office declined to confirm or deny the allegations published in To Proto Thema.
She said the government had issued a so-called D-notice prohibiting the British media naming the presumed MI6 station chief.
The prosecuting magistrate said the eight Pakistanis who are known to have testified to criminal investigators claimed they had been held in a country house for varying periods after a journey lasting about 90 minutes, Vegaitis added. They said they had been questioned about acquaintances in Britain.
Two of those who were allegedly detained, Gul Nawaz and Mohammed Munir, told the English-language Athens News weekly in a story that appeared on Dec. 23 that they were manhandled and beaten.
In the July 7 attacks, four presumed suicide bombers, all British nationals and three of Pakistani origin, killed themselves and 52 other people in attacks on London subway trains and a bus.
