Two guns and a large number of ammunition were found in a mosque in a village in Xanthi, Northeastern Greece, near the borders to Turkey. The imam has been called by the local prosecutor for explanations. Police and national intelligence service on alert.
Police search in the mosque of Iliopetra, Topeiros municipality, took place after a tip off.
Two fire arms and a large number of ammunition (30 pieces) of diverse calibers were found. One of the guns had a silencer. The fire arms and the ammunition were hidden in the yard of the mosque.
The imam who is in charge of the mosque has been called in by local authorities.
According to other local media, the weapon were found in the imam’s home and the minaret.
The weapons are (most likely) a Glock with silencer, a Flobert rifle and another gun.
Xanthi in Western Thrace has a large portion of Turkish-speaking Muslim population dated to the Ottoman Empire.
According to latest information, the imam has been arrested on charges of possession of illegal weapons.
The guns are to be sent to the headquarters of the Greek Police in Athens for ballistic investigation.
The findings set the Greek National Intelligence Service on alert, given the recent deterioration of relations between the two countries. Informed about the case are also the political leadership of the Ministry of Public Order and high-ranking government officials.
Greek media draw attention on a tweet by Abdullah Bozkurt, former editor of Turkish daily ZAMAN who lives in exile in Sweden. Bozkurt claimed on Monday of possible clandestine operations in Greece.
My sources are telling me #Turkey intel has escalated clandestine ops in #Greece, raising the number of operatives. Plotting something?
— Abdullah Bozkurt (@abdbozkurt) March 27, 2017
Also on Monday, several media reported that the Turkish government tracks down regime critics in Germany and Sweden.
