The arrest of a Turkish man on the eastern Aegean island of Chios (Hios) on weapons and forgery charges has sparked a wider investigation into his possible knowledge of gangland-style slayings in Piraeus and the near-Athens semi-rural district of Loutsa – both of which are believed to be tied to the criminal mob in the neighboring country.
The suspect was arrested in possession of a forged driver’s license and an Italian ID. A loaded pistol was also found on him.
Greece’s intelligence service was notified of the incident, while police on the island are scrutinizing his contacts to ascertain who he met on the island and his purpose for traveling there.
The 30-year-old suspect is allegedly a member of the Turkish criminal gang known as the “hawks”.
Six members of an Istanbul-based criminal gang were found dead in a car east of Athens last year in what was reported to have been revenge for the killing of a rival crime boss in Paris
