In an interview with the BBC, Dimitris Baltakos, the Greek coastguard's former head of special operations, refused to speculate about footage the broadcaster showed him, after denying the coastguard would ever be told to do anything illegal.
But during a break he was recorded by a BBC camera telling someone out of shot, in Greek: "It's very clear, isn't it? It's not nuclear physics. I don't know why they did it in broad daylight... It's obviously illegal. It's an international crime."
The footage, shot by the Austrian activist Fayad Mulla and first published by the New York Times, showed 12 people, including women and babies, being led onboard a Greek coastguard boat, and then abandoned and left to drift on a raft.
Denne historien er fra June 18, 2024-utgaven av The Guardian.
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Denne historien er fra June 18, 2024-utgaven av The Guardian.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Money hacks How to save on winter sports holidays
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Bitcoin rises after US SEC chair says he will step down
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Budget blamed for end to 12 months of expansion as optimism slumps
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