XANTHI (AP) - A 52-year-old Greek man was arrested in this northern city after police seized more than 5,000 fake one-euro coins believed to be produced in neighboring Turkey, authorities said yesterday.

The man, whose name was not announced, was arrested on Monday and told police he had bought the fake euros at a workshop in Turkey but gave no other details, authorities said.

The coins were all stamped with the German design, an eagle, and were discovered in the suspect’s car. Other coins were turned in by local businesses. Police said they believed more than 1,000 additional fake coins remain in circulation. Euro coins are rarely counterfeited, while forged notes are much more common.

[Over 3,700 counterfeit euro banknotes were confiscated last year in Greece, most of which are believed to have been printed in Bulgaria. The euro was adopted in January 2002. Yesterday, police in Xanthi arrested two Greeks in possession of 49 counterfeit 50-euro notes.]