Syrian swimmer who saved refugees arrested in Greece, says lawyer

Sarah Mardini, one of two Syrian sisters who saved over a dozen refugees in 2015 by pulling their sinking dinghy to Greece, has been arrested for alleged people smuggling, her lawyer said on Friday.

Greek police said on Tuesday they had arrested two members of an aid organization on the island of Lesbos and were investigating a total of 30 on suspicion they smuggled migrants into Greece, spied and laundered money.

Mardini, 23, who is being held in a maximum security prison in Athens, has denied all charges, her lawyer Haris Petsikos told Reuters.

"She was strictly doing volunteer work. There is not a piece of evidence against her," he said.

The other person arrested is German national Sean Binder, 24, a volunteer who has lived most of his life in Ireland. He is also represented by Petsikos and also denies the charges.

Authorities said...