British tourist arrested for arson in woodland near Athens

Police arrested a 57-year-old British man in Afidnes, north of Athens, Thursday on suspicion of arson after he allegedly started several fires in a wooded area.

The fire service said that the unnamed man was taken into custody after allegedly trying to start a forest fire at around 2 p.m. on Thursday. The blaze was quickly brought under control by firefighters.

According to authorities, the suspect admitted during questioning that he started the fires but claimed that he had been drunk at the time and was not aware of what he was doing.

He told the police that he is visiting Greece as a tourist. He is due to face a prosecutor on Friday.