Greek police detain nine outlawed Turkish leftists in Athens

ATHENS - ATHENS – Reuters

Greece’s anti-terrorism service raided apartments in central Athens on Nov. 28, detaining nine people for questioning over suspected links to a far-leftist militant group outlawed in Turkey, police said, only days before Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s planned visit to the Greek capital.

“Police found jars containing unspecified explosive material, such as cables to connect to detonators and laptops,” a police official told Reuters.

Eight men and a woman thought to hold Turkish citizenship were detained after morning raids at three different addresses in central Athens. Police said they were being questioned.

A second police official confirmed authorities were probing links to the Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party/Front (DHKP-C), an outlawed group blamed for attacks and suicide bombings in Turkey.

The operation was ongoing, the official said.

Erdoğan is expected to visit Greece in December. It would be the first visit by a Turkish president in more than 50 years.

Commercially available materials that could potentially be used in making explosives were found, said police in a statement. They also retrieved digital material and travel documents.

Witnesses saw police experts in hazmat suits holding suitcases enter an address in Athens. Tests on an unknown substance found in jars were expected to be concluded within the day.

The DHKP/C is considered a terrorist group by the European Union, Turkey and the United States.