Greek police under fire over photos of terror detainees
Prosecutor orders investigation after decision to publicise identities of four suspects backfires
Greek authorities are facing an uproar after allegations that police brutally beat four suspected members of a local terrorist group before publishing manipulated mugshots of the men in a crude attempt to disguise their injuries.
A prominent Athens prosecutor ordered an investigation after relatives of the men - aged between 20 and 24 - accused the police of adopting "Guantanamo-style" tactics.
There was a public outcry after the media published the doctored pictures of the suspects who were arrested on Friday after trying to rob two banks in the crisis-hit north. Despite digitally altering the photos, the detainees' bruised eyes and lips were evident.
"There is no desire to cover [up for] anyone for anything," he said. Earlier, the public order ministry had issued a statement describing the detainees as being especially dangerous.
"They [had] threatened human lives with Kalashnikovs and they had taken a hostage," it said. "Armed engagements don't happen with the exchange of flowers, the accused had ... resisted arrest."
All four are believed to be linked to politically extreme militant groups that have arisen on the right and left in Greece in the past three years, as the country has been increasingly hobbled by economic crisis and social upheaval.