A couple renting an Airbnb apartment in the suburb of Glyfada, located in the South Athens regional unit in the Athens Riviera along the coast of Saronic Gulf discovered a firearm in the residence, raising the alarm for Greek authorities.
On December 28, a couple renting the residence found the weapon, which was later identified as a 9mm pistol complete with a magazine and 16 cartridges, according to Greek public broadcaster ERT.
The couple immediately informed the homeowner, who in turn notified the authorities. The weapon was then transported to the Forensic Laboratories for further examination.
The Glyfada apartment had been reportedly rented by a Turkish national from December 12 to 16. Police are examining the weapon to determine whether it was linked to recent mob-style attacks by Turkish gangs in the area.
A series of gang-style slayings took place at the start of December one of which resulted in the gunning down of two men and seriously wounding another in broad daylight. Two Turkish nationals, 26 and 22, both identified as ethnic Kurds, were arrested and formally charged with homicide over the bloody incident.
The mob-style incidents involving Turkish nationals led to a large scale police operation in the capital of Athens and the northern city of Thessaloniki eight Turkish nationals were arrested and eight more detained, all reportedly connected to illegal activities, including homicides and drug and human trafficking.
During the crackdown, law enforcement agents of the Directorate for Combating Organized Crime (DAOE) in Thessaloniki and Attica also confiscated 49 weapons and drugs.
