Counterterrorism operation in Aegean saved Turkey from terrorist attacks

The confessions of members of the terrorist organization Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front (DHKP/C) who were arrested in Greece on Wednesday revealed that group was in preparation for terrorist attacks in Turkey. According to the reporting of a Greek daily which published the confessions of the four DHKP/C members (two Turkish and two Greek citizens), a captured boat's captain, 22-year old S.T., provided critical information regarding the connections of the terrorist organization. S.T reportedly said that they were planning the shipment of a second batch of weapons and manpower to be used in future terrorist attacks in Turkey and, had they not been caught on July 30 during the first shipment off the island of Chios, it would have gone through.  S.T. turned out to be a student at Merchant Marine Academy of Aspropyrgos. Based on the confessions of the suspected terrorists, the anti-terrorism branch of the Greek police reportedly expanded the scope of its operations. The police found out that the captured boat planned to reach Turkey through the island of Lesbos, where a group of people would help secure the arrival of the DHKP/C terrorist to Turkey. A 50-year-old Greek man originally from Istanbul named Kosmas Z. -- who owns a kebab house in Athens -- reportedly played a crucial role in the shipment of the weapons to Turkey. Another man, a 54-year-old nicknamed “Yorgos Renieris,” who allegedly smuggled big quantities of drugs to Albania, is allegedly among the other collaborators of the DHKP/C. Kosmas Z. organized the logistics of the weapons and explosives shipment via boat. As the owner of the boat, Yorgos Renieris was arrested following the counterterrorism operation held by the Greek authorities. The 22 year old student S.T. confessed that he had met Kosmas Z. and Yorgo Renieris two weeks ago in a cafeteria. He claimed that Kosmas Z. organized the entire operation. According to his statements, the transfer of terrorist organization members Hasan Biber and Mehmet Yayla was planned in the first voyage. He also said that he was involved in human trafficking to the island of Lesbos in September 2012 in return for 500 euro. Kosmas Z., on the other hand, denied the allegations against him and claimed that he has never been involved in any illegal activity in his whole life. “I am recently unemployed. I used to work as a waiter in different restaurants in Athens. I went to the island of Chios to look for a place to open a kebab place,” he said. Kosmas Z. is believed to be the key person who took part in the weapons and explosives shipment plan and the transfer of terrorists to Turkey. The Greek police also detected connections of some people working in kebab places in Athens with DHKP/C terrorists.