The testimony of a relative of a terrorist suspect who allegedly received sabotage training in Greece was revealed, according to local sources on Monday.
The suspect, identified as Hüsamettin Tanrıkulu, code-named "Delil," had received training at Greece's Lavrion Camp and was preparing armed and bomb attacks in metropolitan cities on the instructions of the PKK terrorist group, said the Turkish Interior Ministry on Sunday.
The proceedings of Tanrıkulu, who was caught as a result of the work carried out by Diyarbakır and Istanbul police, continue at the Anti-Terror Branch of the Istanbul Security Directorate, said the sources on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.
According to the sources, Tanrıkulu, who joined the Lavrion Camp in March and entered Türkiye illegally in June after receiving sabotage training for four months, did not testify at the police station.
In March, a relative of Tanrıkulu went to the security forces to report that the suspect had joined the camp, the sources added.
According to the relative's testimony, Tanrıkulu told him that he attended the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) office, which is a party the Turkish government says has links to the PKK, for three years and then joined the camp.
In addition, 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.
Turkish Interior Minister Süleyman 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.
For more than 40 years, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union – has been responsible for the deaths of more than 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.