ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A Greek prosecutor ordered an investigation Monday into allegations of police brutality in the arrest of four alleged bank robbers after authorities released digitally altered mug shots that covered up extensive bruising on three of the suspects.
Three of those arrested are suspected of being linked to a militant group that has claimed responsibility for a series of bombings.
Public Order Minister Nikos Dendias said on private Mega television that he understood the photos had been altered because police wanted pictures that could lead to further information from the public and they needed to be recognizable.
"The torture of detainees is an embarrassment for the Greek state," the main opposition left-wing Syriza party said Sunday, adding that such occurrences were "a general phenomenon" in the Greek police and not isolated incidents.
The group is best known for a series of mail bombings in 2010 targeting embassies and European officials, including one that reached German Chancellor Angela Merkel's office in Berlin.
Three of those arrested are suspected of being linked to a militant group that has claimed responsibility for a series of bombings.
Public Order Minister Nikos Dendias said on private Mega television that he understood the photos had been altered because police wanted pictures that could lead to further information from the public and they needed to be recognizable.
"The torture of detainees is an embarrassment for the Greek state," the main opposition left-wing Syriza party said Sunday, adding that such occurrences were "a general phenomenon" in the Greek police and not isolated incidents.
The group is best known for a series of mail bombings in 2010 targeting embassies and European officials, including one that reached German Chancellor Angela Merkel's office in Berlin.
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