 in Thermi, near Thessaloniki, according to the Greek Reporter news website.){kind=link}
Greek police have detained six Turks following a shooting involving officers from the Greek National Intelligence Service (EYP) in Thermi, near Thessaloniki, according to the Greek Reporter news website.
The incident on Tuesday evening unfolded during a surveillance operation by EYP officers targeting Turkish nationals suspected of links to organized crime, raising concerns as to the activities of Turkish organized crime groups operating in Greece.
The suspects, reportedly traveling in a silver SUV with foreign license plates, were at a gas station in Tagarades when they seemingly became aware of the surveillance. One person exited the vehicle, drew a handgun and fired at least three shots toward a car occupied by EYP officers. Fortunately, no injuries were reported and the gunman quickly got back into the SUV, which then sped away.
Greek authorities recovered three shell casings at the scene following the shooting by the Turkish nationals. Greek police officers are reviewing security camera footage from the gas station as part of their ongoing investigation. Among those detained in relation to the shooting was a Turkish man identified as the roommate of the vehicle’s registered owner and another person believed to have been present during the shooting. Police are actively investigating their precise involvement.
High-profile incidents involving Turks in shootings
This was not an isolated incident and points to the growing presence and activity of Turkish organized crime groups in Greece. Recent years have seen a notable increase in violent incidents as well as arrests related to gun and drug offenses involving Turkish nationals in the country.
Greek police sources and intelligence reports indicate that many members of Turkish criminal gangs have fled Turkey and are now fighting with rival factions on foreign soil, including Greece. These groups are primarily involved in drug trafficking, arms smuggling, human trafficking and migrant smuggling.
A confidential report drafted by Greek security authorities in September 2024 warned about the activities of Turkish criminal groups operating in the country, pointing out the risk of their being used by foreign intelligence services for espionage.
The report also warned of the risk of Greece becoming a setting for settling accounts between rival groups of organized crime in Turkey, as happened in the case of the murder of six people in 2023.
Six members of an İstanbul-based Turkish criminal gang were found dead in Loutsa, a town in Attica, central Greece, in September 2023 in what was reported to have been revenge for the killing of a rival gang boss in Paris.
In a similar development, a 40-year-old Turkish national, allegedly a member of the Turkish criminal organization known as the “Hawks,” was arrested on the island of Chios by Greek authorities in September 2024 for carrying false Italian identification documents and for illegal gun possession.
In June 2024, a 22-year-old Turkish citizen was also jailed pending trial after killing another Turk and seriously injuring a third one in an attack in Greece, with police sources saying both victims were members of a criminal gang.
Turkey and Greece, NATO allies and historic foes, have long been at odds over maritime boundaries among other issues. Recently, they have stepped up cooperation in many sectors including security.