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The "brain" behind the bloody attacks in Paris on 13 November had certainly passed through Greece, as proven by the results of the ongoing investigation. The DNA sample of the terrorist sent by the French authorities coincides with the sample of a previously unknown owner who is registered in the Greek police database. Although the sample has arrived in Athens as anonymous, the investigation data have indicated that it belongs to Abdelhamid Abaaud.

The 27-year-old terrorist who was killed during a police raid in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis was wanted in Athens in January this year but his tracks were not found despite the mobilization of the Greek and foreign services. Last Thursday, after his assassination during the raid of French commandos, the local police sent DNA samples to the competent authorities of all EU member states, including Greece. According to sources referred to by the Greek daily Kathimerini, while comparing it with the samples available in the Greek police database it coincided with one of them, which the Greek police had discovered during a previous investigation.

The Greek media comment that the French authorities for a long time were aware of Abaaud’s presence in Greece without informing their Greek colleagues. During the extraordinary meeting of the interior ministers of the EU countries, French Minister Bernard Kaznev told his colleagues that Abaaud had drawn up the plan of the attacks in Syria and arrived in France having crossed "many European countries."
 
At the same time, the information has been confirmed that the main person wanted for the attacks, Salah Abdeslam, was also in Greece in recent months. In particular, in early August, he travelled by ferry from Patras to the Italian port of Bari and back together with another man. According to a source of Kathimerini, who is close to the investigation, Abdeslam’s presence in Patras was confirmed by the investigation of the coast guard and the competent authorities were informed about his actions. The 26-year-old man became the subject of investigation since the European database recommended that he be "discreetly observed."

So far, there is no official confirmation of the information that one of the suicide bombers on the Stade de France had also passed through the Greek island of Leros.

The information on Abdeslam’s trip from Patras to Bari and back on 1 and 5 August was confirmed by police authorities in Italy. Although the trips in question had no direct connection with the attacks in Paris, experts believe that jihadists are probably using fake documents and passports to send fighters from Syria to Western Europe through Italy.

Meanwhile, six French nationals were detained at Larnaca airport in Cyprus on Saturday on suspicion of links with Islamic State. Five of the men were of Turkish origin and the sixth of Algerian origin. They travelled with French identification cards and carried no luggage but only one handbag full of mobile phones and laptops. The six men said they arrived in Cyprus on vacation but failed to convince the authorities that detained them. After the investigation, it is expected that today they will be extradited to France.