Six Afghan nationals were remanded in custody by order of a prosecutor on the island of Lesvos on Monday. They were arrested last week on charges of arson and participation in a criminal group, for the fire that destroyed the Moria refugee camp earlier in September.
Four of the six Afghanis are aged 19 and two are 17.
The defendants denied the charges against them and claimed that they fell victim to the testimony of a compatriot from the Pashtun tribe, who lived at the Moria camp. They said he had reason to present them as arsonists because they belong to the ethnic group of the Hazara, which they said is persecuted by the ethnic group of the Pashtun.
A video had reportedly helped police identify one of the suspected arsonists.
On Sunday, police on the island of Samos arrested three underage men in connection with a fire that started in the island’s reception and identification centre late last night.
The suspects, who are foreign nationals, are believed to have started a fire by negligence causing significant damage to the premises.
The men will be led before a prosecutor in Samos, while security police is conducting the investigation.
