A story meant to prove that a one-time refugee camp in Greece has not turned into a training ground for terrorists backfired, as the images and words in the story bolstered Türkiye's thesis that it became a terrorist PKK haven.
A story from Greek news portal Newsbomb claimed that the Lavrion Camp was "not a training ground for the PKK," but images taken inside the camp included symbols of the terrorist group PKK and images of jailed terrorist leader Abdullah Öcalan as well as PKK terrorist members such as Viyan Soran and Sakine Cansız.
Notably, writing on a camp wall called PKK terrorist Kasım Engin a "martyr."
The story quoted people who denigrated Türkiye and showed the camp full of living spaces created for terrorist group members, PKK flags and photos of terrorists.
A person interviewed in front of a giant poster featuring terrorist ringleader Öcalan claimed that "having PKK symbols and images of Öcalan in the camp doesn't mean that this is a PKK camp."
The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the European Union and the United States, and is responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.
Most recently, Turkish police detained a PKK terrorist who received training at the notorious camp in Greece and had been planning to carry out armed and bomb attacks in large cities, Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu said Sunday.
The terrorist, identified as Hüsamettin Tanrıkulu, code-named “Delil,” was detained in a joint counterterrorism operation by Istanbul and Diyarbakır police.
He had entered Türkiye through illegal means after receiving sabotage training at the Lavrion camp in Greece.
Greece has long been accused of being a favorite hideout for terrorists from the Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party/Front (DHKP-C) and PKK. Those fleeing Türkiye have taken shelter in refugee camps in Lavrion near Athens under the guise of being asylum-seekers, especially in the 1980s. Despite the closure of Lavrion in 2013 amid pressure from Türkiye, Greece continues to be the primary destination for DHKP-C terrorists.
Türkiye has been voicing concern about the presence of terrorists in Greece’s Lavrion camp.
Soylu has frequently accused Athens of harboring terrorists and warned that Lavrion has turned into a terrorist camp.
Footage obtained from the camp shows that it has turned into a base for PKK terrorists.
The camp seen in the footage resembles a terrorist base, with terrorist symbols and pictures of its imprisoned ringleader Öcalan adorning its walls.
An interview by Greek broadcaster StarNews revealed that the camp’s residents had participated in the youth branch of the PKK and are sought with warrants.
