A 34-year-old man from North Macedonia has been extradited to Germany, where he is accused of participating in a robbery and murder of an 81-year-old man, following a ruling by the Thessaloniki Council of Appeals.
The wanted man was arrested in May at the border station of Evzones, Kilkis, when while attempting to enter Greek territory, it was discovered that a European arrest warrant was pending against him.
The crime, according to German prosecution documents, was committed last February in a small town in the federal state of Hesse. The 34-year-old man had allegedly travelled to Germany on business with fellow citizens and stayed in rooms rented by the victim. The perpetrators, according to German law enforcement authorities, tied and gagged the elderly man, taking cash from his home. His death was suffocating.
Before the judges of the Appeals Council, the 34-year-old asked not to be extradited to Germany, stressing that his family lives in the town of Veles in North Macedonia, that it is close to the border with Greece, and - as a result - it would be easier to visit him in Greek prisons. The Council, however, ruled in favour of his extradition to be tried by the competent court in Germany.