Gang in police’s crosshairs over assault on forest cleanup volunteers

Police in Athens are reportedly closing in on a gang of youths who allegedly attacked two volunteers participating in a forest cleanup on the Greek capital's Mount Parnitha over the weekend, leaving them in need of hospital care.

According to reports, investigators are looking at CCTV footage from the nearby area and talking to witnesses who may be able to identify the youths who drove into the forest and assaulted the two volunteers as they were settling down in rudimentary shelters for the night following a long day of clearing trash from the forest and ahead of another day of the same on Sunday.

The volunteers were on the western slopes of Mount Parnitha as part of a bigger crew in a three-day cleanup organized by Save Your Hood, a non-governmental organization that carries out initiatives for greener cities. The rest of the team was at a different but nearby...