DHKP/C arrests in Greece coordinated by CIA, MİT, EYP

Fevzi KIZILKOYUN - Yorgo KIRBAKİ ANKARA-ATHENS / Hürriyet

One of the four arrested Turkish men is escorted by anti-terror police officers to the court in Athens, Feb 11. AP photo

The Feb. 10 anti-terror operation in Greece that led to the arrests of senior members of the outlawed Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party/Front (DHKP/C) was conducted by Greek security forces in tandem with U.S. and Turkish intelligence agencies, daily Hürriyet has revealed.

The raid on residences in the Gizi neighborhood of the greater Athens area was triggered by an anonymous informer and led to the arrest of four men, including DHKP/C leader Hüseyin Fevzi Tekin and İsmail Akkol, who is wanted by Turkish authorities for his alleged involvement in the murder of businessman Özdemir Sabancı in 1996, according to Greek daily To Vima.

Turkish sources told Hürriyet that the latest raid was the result of a fresh collaboration between Turkey’s National Intelligence Agency (MİT), its Greek counterpart EYP, and the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). According to the same sources, the three national agencies started to share intelligence following last year’s DHKP/C attack targeting the U.S. Embassy in Ankara. After it was concluded that the DHKP/C was about to organize another attack on Turkish soil, Greek security arrested four militants on two separate operations near the Greece-Turkey border last year.

While the identities of Tekin and Akkol have been confirmed by the Turkish authorities, it is suspected that another DHKP/C militant could be among those arrested in the latest raid. Murat Korkut was accused of having joined the group’s anti-tank LAW gun attack on the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) headquarters and the Justice Ministry in Ankara last year, before allegedly fleeing to Greece.

All suspects declined to give statements under police custody, To Vima reported. Their attorney Aleka Zorbala has claimed that they were beaten by the police and their DNA samples were collected under coercion.

Hürriyet sources said a five-member Turkish security team, as well as officials from the FBI and CIA, would be present at the interrogation of the suspects, who are expected to testify at the Athens Prosecutor’s Office tomorrow. Ankara plans to lodge a formal request of repatriation, following the judicial process in Greece.