In Brief
ATHENS TRAFFIC
Restrictions return to the center as of today, limiting car access Traffic restrictions will be enforced in central Athens as of today, meaning that only cars with a license plate ending in an odd number will be able to enter the inner ring on odd days and those with an even number on even days. The restrictions will be in place until July 16 of next year, when they will be dropped for more than a month due to the reduced traffic in Athens over the summer. ROOM RAIDER Belgian man held for hotel thefts A 33-year-old Belgian man has been arrested on Crete on suspicion of stealing 18,000 euros in cash, jewelry and mobile phones, along with an accomplice, from several rooms in a hotel in Hania where he had been staying. Police said that the man, who was not named, is suspected of breaking into the rooms of five guests, either by climbing onto their balconies or forcing the door open in a way that did not leave any marks. The name of the hotel was not made public. Officers are also looking for a 33-year-old Frenchman who was staying in the hotel along with the Belgian. Fatal burns A 27-year-old Albanian woman who was doused in petrol and set on fire by her husband a week ago died in the hospital of her injuries yesterday. The woman was attacked by her husband, a 41-year-old Albanian, at their home in Ano Liosia following an argument. Hash farm Police in Sparta, in the Peloponnese, said yesterday that they had uprooted more than 800 cannabis plants from a cultivation in the municipality of Mystras after a month of observing the illegal site failed to provide them with a glimpse of the cultivators. The plants, which had been divided into 15 separate areas and well maintained, are to be destroyed, police said. The discovery in Mystras followed two raids this summer on organized cannabis farms in Attica, one near Mount Parnitha and one in Malakasa, north of Athens. Aegean tension A formation of eight Turkish fighter jets yesterday afternoon violated Greek air space south of Rhodes. Of the F-16s, four flew over the Fournoi islands at a height of 3,600 feet. At the same time, the other four jets divided into pairs and flew over the island at a higher altitude. Police chase Four robbers who raided a branch of Attica Bank in the Athens district of Nea Ionia yesterday were caught following a police chase through Athens. Officers enlisted the help of traffic police to corner the getaway car. The robbers, all Greeks and aged between 21 and 35, were not known to the police for previous offenses. Officers discovered a Kalashnikov assault rifle and a submachine gun in their possession. Supermarket robbery Police yesterday were seeking two gunmen who held up a branch of the supermarket Veropoulos in the northern suburb of Kifissia and who are believed to be behind several other similar store raids in Attica over the past few weeks. Two gunmen struck the Kifissia store at 7 a.m. yesterday and fled by motorcycle with an unspecified sum. One of the robbers fired his gun into the air in warning but there were no injuries.
