Elevate your local knowledge

Sign up for the iNFOnews newsletter today!

Select Region

Selecting your primary region ensures you get the stories that matter to you, first.

The Latest: Hungarian court sentences Syrian in migrant riot

THESSALONIKI, Greece – The Latest on the influx of migrants into Europe (all times local):

5 p.m.

A Hungarian court has sentenced a Syrian man to 10 years in prison for taking part in a Sept. 2015 riot after Hungary closed its borders to migrants and refugees.

A court in the southern city of Szeged found the man, identified only as Ahmed H. and a resident of Cyprus, guilty of entering Hungary illegally and of using violence in an attempt to force police into letting in the migrants, considered an “act of terror.” In July, the man’s parents were part of a group also sentenced to prison for alleged rioting.

Dozens of police officers, migrants and some journalists were injured in clashes on Sept. 16, 2015, a day after Hungary closed off its border with Serbia with a fence protected by razor wire, stranding hundreds of migrants.

___

2:25 p.m.

Authorities in Greece say they have picked up about 70 migrants, including children, found in a forested area on the outskirts of the northern city of Thessaloniki.

The group, who said they were from Syria, told police Wednesday that they had crossed the Greek-Turkish border and had been transported to the area hidden in a truck. The truck driver left them in the forest late Tuesday, and they spent the night there in the snow. Temperatures have plunged below freezing in the past two days across the country.

Under a European Union-Turkey agreement reached in March, migrants and refugees arriving on Greek islands from Turkey face deportation back to Turkey. The agreement, however, doesn’t extend to those crossing the land border between the two countries.

News from © The Associated Press, . All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Join the Conversation!

Want to share your thoughts, add context, or connect with others in your community?

The Associated Press

The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world’s population sees AP journalism every day.