Greek government closes two DHKP/C camps: Report

ISTANBUL - Star

Ecevit Şanlı, a member of the outlawed Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party-Front (DHKP/C), blew himself up in front of the U.S. Embassy in Ankara on Feb. 1. He was reportedly trained at the Lavrion camp, which was closed this week by the Greek government according daily Star's report. AFP photo

The Greek government closed two training camp run by the outlawed leftist Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party/Front (DHKP/C), daily Star reported March 9. The closures followed a deal between Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Greek counterpart Antonis Samaras to strengthen cooperation in the fight against terrorism during their meeting on the sidelines of the Turkey-Greece Business Forum, which was held in Istanbul on March 4.

The DHKP/C had claimed responsibility for the Feb. 1 suicide attack at the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, which killed one person and heavily injured another. An investigation revealed that the suicide bomber, identified as Ecevit Şanlı, had illegally entered Turkey from Greece.

According to the report, Samaras had ordered the closure of DHKP/C’s camps in the Lavrion and Oropo regions. The Lavrion camp was allegedly the place where many of the members who operated in Turkey, including Şanlı, were trained since the 1970s. Following the Greek government’s measures, the DHKP/C members have reportedly moved to a five-story building in Thessaloniki.
Daily Star also claimed the organization had closed its camps in Damascus and Latakia, Syria during the latest month. The apartment in Thessaloniki has become the new command of operations, the report said.

Turkey has accelerated its crackdown on DHKP/C after the embassy attack. Prime Minister Erdoğan had also repeatedly criticized EU countries’ cooperation in counterterrorism and called on European leaders to stop “protecting” individuals belonging to outlawed organizations in Turkey. Counterterrorism was also one of the main issues of Samaras’s visit this week and Erdoğan had reportedly given his Greek counterpart information on DHKP/C’s senior leaders and the individuals being trained at the Lavrion camp.