Police in the Greek capital Athens have arrested a Palestinian man who holds a Lebanese passport and is suspected of being a member of the terrorist group Fatah-al-Islam. Ghaleb Taleb was arrested along with another man for being a member of the Lebanese-based organization, following a lengthy surveillance operation. The arrest by anti-terrorism police followed a report in the Italian daily newspaper 'Corriere della Sera,' with authorities acting before the suspects could flee.

The second man, which the newspaper identified as Taleb's predecessor in Greece, Mohammed Mousa, has also been arrested. Both men face deportation. The Italian daily said Taleb was a ringleader of a group of extremists who are based in other parts of western Europe. He was reportedly in Greece to coordinate a terrorist attack there or in another European country.