Greek police arrest 61 migrants after Thessaloniki violence

THESSALONIKI, Greece – Police in Thessaloniki have arrested 61 migrants for illegal residence in the country, in a crackdown following a string of violent incidents near the northern Greek city’s main railway station.

Officers were patrolling the area and carrying out identity checks Tuesday after the overnight arrests.

Police said the crackdown followed several violent clashes among rival groups of Afghan and Pakistani migrants over the past few days, which left four men injured — one of whom suffered gunshot wounds.

Hundreds of migrants live in the area round Thessaloniki’s railway station where they are dropped off by smuggling gangs bringing them over from Greece’s eastern border with Turkey.