Man suspected of pushing officer off motorcycle during march arrested
Protesters clash with police officers during a demonstration against a police crackdown on gatherings, in Athens, Greece, on March 9. [Alkis Konstantinidis/Reuters]
Greek police arrested on Wednesday afternoon the man they believe pushed a police officer off his motorcycle during clashes that followed a march against police violence in the Athenian suburb of Nea Smyrni.
The suspect, identified as a 30-year-old Greek-Iraqi, was arrested in a warehouse in the town of Magoula, western Attica, where he works. He has a previous arrest for drugs.
The officer, a member of the DIAS motorcycle-riding unit, was subsequently beaten in the head by a number of people before his colleagues managed to reach him. The victim is being treated in a military hospital for his injuries but his life is not at risk.
