Decision on plane buffs due soon
The fate of 12 British and two Dutch plane spotters held for the past 25 days on charges of espionage could be determined over the next few days, the government said yesterday, adding that it had instructed judicial authorities to expedite their decision regarding the group’s pre-trial detention. Justice Minister Filippos Petsalnikos said the three-member panel of judges in the southern town of Kalamata – where the 14 were arrested on November 8 – had been asked not to delay their decision. «I believe a decision will be made in the next few days,» he said. British Euro MP Richard Howitt, who visited the 12 British nationals last week, said he expected a decision by Wednesday. The Observer reported yesterday that Greek counter-intelligence officers are investigating links between the group and the Turkish secret service after it emerged last week that group leader Paul Coppin – who owns Touchdown Tours – had spent a week in Turkey earlier this year as a guest of the country’s armed forces.
