Police in Athens have arrested a 41-year-old Turkish citizen of Kurdish ethnicity who was wanted for membership in a terrorist organization.
The man had gone to the police’s aliens’ division to renew his asylum request papers when an INTERPOL Red Notice popped up upon the officer entering his name, prompting his immediate arrest. He will appear before an Athens Appeals Court prosecutor on Tuesday.
The individual is suspected of involvement in a 2013 bomb attack on a government building in the city of Tunceli. Authorities identified him through fingerprints and phone surveillance.
The Communist Party of Turkey/Marxist-Leninist – Liberation Army of the Workers and Peasants of Turkey (TKP/ML-TIKKO) claimed responsibility for the bombing.
The suspect’s arrest in Athens raises questions about the potential presence of international fugitives seeking refuge in Greece and the challenges faced by European nations in balancing asylum procedures with national security concerns. As the investigation progresses, further details about the man’s alleged role in the Tunceli bombing and his motives for seeking asylum in Greece are expected to emerge.