Turkish police detained a PKK terrorist who received training at a 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.
Greek Minister of Citizen Protection Takis Theodorikakos recently accused Türkiye of provocation, saying: “Recent statements by the Turkish Minister of Interior Süleyman Soylu, about Lavrion are provocative and have no relation to reality.”
Deputy Interior Minister Ismail Çataklı responded on Twitter that Ankara does not provoke and does not “hesitate to say the truth that the whole world already knows.”
“We warn the Greek Minister! Do not support or condone terrorist organizations,” he added and published photos of the camp showing flags of the PKK as well as its jailed leader Abdullah Öcalan.
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.
