Romanian disguised as priest arrested in Greece on European arrest warrant for driving without licence
A 44-year-old man, dressed in priestly garments, was detained in Ouranoupoli, near Mount Athos, on the basis of a European arrest warrant issued by Romania.
Arrested en route to Mount Athos, disguised as priest
A 44-year-old Romanian was arrested on Saturday, 17 October 2026, in Ouranoupoli, a town in the Halkidiki region of northern Greece, situated close to Mount Athos. The man, who was wearing priestly clothing at the time of his detention, was being sought by Romanian authorities on the basis of a European arrest warrant, according to libertatea.ro, which cites Greek news agency ANA via Agerpres.
Greek police discovered the warrant after checking his legal status. Documents transmitted to Greek authorities showed that the Romanian had been sentenced to one year, five months and 20 days in prison for driving offences committed in Romania: he had been caught driving without a licence on two occasions, in different counties and two years apart.
The first incident occurred in 2023 in Constanța, and the second in 2025 in Vaslui. On the basis of these convictions, Romanian authorities subsequently issued the European arrest warrant under which the man was detained in Greece.
On Monday, 19 October, the Romanian was presented to prosecutors in Thessaloniki for procedures relating to the execution of the warrant. According to CNN Greece, the man declared that he does not agree to extradition to Romania.
Greek judicial authorities did not immediately make a decision regarding his surrender. Greek magistrates requested additional documents from Romania to establish the exact nature of the offences for which he was convicted — and, in particular, whether these are punishable offences under Greek legislation or would be classified only as administrative violations. One of the hypotheses being examined is the possibility that the offences could be classified as dangerous driving, which constitutes a criminal offence in Greece.
After receiving the documents requested from Romanian authorities, Greek justice will decide whether the case is referred to the competent appeals court for examination of the extradition request. Pending clarification of his legal status, the Romanian remains in the custody of Greek authorities.
Source: Google News RO — Crime (ro)