Turkey nabs PKK terrorist trying to cross into Greece

Turkish border units detained a PKK terrorist attempting to cross the border into Greece, the Defense Ministry said Monday.

In a statement on Twitter, the ministry said border units detained the terrorist as he was trying to illegally cross into Greece. The terrorist was transferred to the Meriç District Gendarmerie patrol station as part of procedures, the ministry added.

The operation was carried out in the first-degree forbidden military zone in the Meriç district of northwestern Edirne province, a security source, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media, told Anadolu Agency (AA).

During the investigation, it was found that the person, identified only by the initials F.E., had received a life sentence for “disrupting the unity of the state and the integrity of the country,” the source added.

Greece has long been accused of being a favorite hideout for terrorists from the Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party-Front (DHKP-C) and the PKK. Those fleeing Turkey have taken shelter in refugee camps in Lavrion near Athens under the guise of asylum-seekers, especially in the 1980s. Despite the closure of Lavrion in 2013 amid pressure from Turkey, Greece continues to be the primary destination for DHKP-C terrorists.

Athens has also rejected Ankara’s extradition requests for terrorists from groups advocating armed insurgency against the state and had been involved in armed attacks against Turkish security forces and political parties, in addition to other targets.

Rejected extradition requests include six members of the outlawed terrorist group The Revolutionary Left (Dev-Sol), 24 members of the DHKP-C, one member of the Turkish (or Kurdish) Hezbollah, one member of the illegal Marxist-Leninist Communist Party (MLKP), one member of the THKP-C, one member of the PKK, five members of the illegal Communist Party of Turkey/Marxist-Leninist (TKP-ML) and three from other groups.