Greek police have detained six Turks following a shooting incident involving officers from the National Intelligence Service (EYP) in Thermi, near Thessaloniki. The event, which occurred Tuesday evening, underscores growing concerns about the activities of Turkish organized crime groups operating within Greece.
The incident unfolded during a covert surveillance operation by EYP officers targeting Turkish nationals suspected of links to organized crime, according to local media reports.
The suspects, reportedly traveling in a silver SUV with foreign license plates, were at a gas station in the settlement of Tagarades when they seemingly became aware of the surveillance. One individual 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 re-entered the SUV, which then sped away.
Authorities recovered three shell casings at the scene and are reviewing security camera footage from the gas station as part of their ongoing investigation. Among those detained are a man identified as the roommate of the vehicle’s registered owner and another individual believed to have been present during the shooting. Police are actively investigating their precise involvement.
This incident is not isolated and points to an escalating presence and activity of Turkish organized crime groups in Greece. Recent years have seen a notable increase in violent incidents, including shootings and 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 clashing with rival factions on foreign soil, including Greece. These groups are primarily involved in drug trafficking, arms smuggling and human trafficking and migrant smuggling.
In a high-profile case last December, police in Greece detained 16 people and confiscated drugs and weapons in an operation aimed at dismantling the Turkish mafia active in the country. In the same month, two Turkish nationals died and one was seriously hurt in a mafia-style shooting in the Athens suburb of Glyfada.
And in September 2023, six Turks were found dead in a car ambush in Loutsa, a seaside town, in what was reported as revenge for the killing of a rival gang boss in Paris.
A confidential report drafted by Greek security authorities last year warned about the activities of Turkish criminal groups in Greece and the risk of the country becoming a battleground for inter-gang rivalries. This report also noted the potential for these criminal networks to be instrumentalized by “politically motivated actors and intelligence services” for covert operations.
The recent shooting in Thermi further underscores the challenges faced by Greek law enforcement and intelligence agencies in confronting the growing and increasingly violent presence of Turkish organized crime on Greek soil. The investigation into the Thessaloniki incident remains ongoing as authorities seek to fully uncover the motives and affiliations of the detained individuals.
