ATHENS, Dec 14: The Greek public order minister on Wednesday strongly denied claims that a number of Pakistani immigrants were abducted and interrogated in Athens after the July bomb attacks in London, arguing that the whole affair was a “big misunderstanding”.

“This is a big misunderstanding that has come close to embarrassing our country,” George Voulgarakis told reporters in a media briefing.

“If such an incident had happened we would know, nothing of the sort happened, and do not underestimate Greek police,” Voulgarakis said.

On Tuesday, the police had promised to investigate a complaint filed in July by Javed Aslam, head of the Unity of Pakistan community association in Athens, who charged that seven of his fellow nationals were arrested without warrants, blindfolded and taken to a secret location for questioning.

“They were questioned about relatives of theirs resident in London, the case was evidently linked to the July attacks,” the Pakistanis’ Greek lawyer Frangiskos Ragoussis told AFP.

The Pakistanis were held at an unknown Athens location for up to a week, Aslam charges.

Aslam claims that British intelligence services were involved in the alleged abductions and that 28 Pakistani migrants in total were seized and interrogated.

Voulgarakis also discussed the issue with Pakistani ambassador to Athens Rashed Saleem Khan, the ministry press office said.

A ministry release later noted that according to the ambassador, “the embassy of Pakistan has never been informed in any way (of) such an incident, since no member of the Pakistani community in Greece has ever reported anything relevant”.

The British embassy in Athens on Tuesday similarly described the claim as “far-fetched”.—AFP