Gunmen 'steal' illegal immigrants

Two gunmen overpowered police and stole a truck carrying dozens of illegal immigrants that was headed for a holding facility, Greek police said.

Acting on a tip-off, authorities had set up a roadblock on the main road between Athens and Corinth late on Monday night and stopped the truck. They found 65 illegal immigrants hiding inside. The driver escaped as soon as the truck was stopped.

Police were driving the vehicle to Athens - with the immigrants still inside - when they were stopped at a traffic light by two gunmen in a car, a police statement said.

The gunmen overpowered the officers, stole their guns and took over the truck, with one driving it away and the other following in the car.

Police eventually caught both gunmen - one on Monday night and the second early yesterday afternoon - and recovered the stolen weapons. They located the empty truck in the greater Athens area, but the migrants who had been inside were gone.

Both gunmen, who were still being questioned, were described as being of Iraqi origin.

Thousands of migrants from Asia and Africa enter Greece illegally every year, seeking a better life and access to other European Union countries. EU officials say the vast majority - about 90 per cent - of all illegal immigrants stopped trying to enter the 27 -member union are caught at Greece's borders.