Disabled Syrian Refugee Sues Greece over Pursuit Injuries

A Syrian refugee disabled after being shot in a Greek coastguard pursuit in 2014 is demanding 100,000 euros ($111,000) in damages from the Greek state, a report said Saturday.

The 68-year-old man, who now lives in Sweden, submitted his case to a court on the island of Rhodes, local daily Dimokratiki said.

The plaintiff was badly hurt in September 2014 when Greek coastguards fired on a smuggler's speedboat in a drawn-out chase near the island of Kalymnos.

The smuggler had previously attempted to ram and sink the Greek patrol boat, injuring one of the coastguards, authorities had said at the time.

The coastguards had also claimed that a dozen asylum-seekers were concealed on the speedboat and were not visible during the pursuit.