ATHENS, May 3 (Xinhua) -- A Turkish national who illegally crossed the border into northern Greece was on Thursday sentenced to five months in prison, suspended for three years, and fined 1,500 euros (1,796 U.S. dollars) Greek national news agency AMNA reported.
Musa Alerik, an employee of the Edirne municipal council, was arrested on Wednesday driving an excavator and led before a court on Thursday in the town of Orestiada.
He claimed he had not realized he had strayed into Greek territory. His defense lawyer lodged an appeal and the accused must now return to attend the appeals hearing once a date is set.
He is currently detained at a police station until he is deported to Turkey, according to AMNA.
In early March, two Greek servicemen accidentally strayed into Turkey amid adverse weather conditions and are still detained. Their case has soured relations between the two neighboring countries who are also at odds over eight Turkish servicemen who fled to Greece in July 2016 after the failed coup attempt in Turkey.
