Greece’s Downfall: Economics, Refugees, and Terrorists

On February 14, 2016, Greek police arrested three Iraqi men in Alexandropolis in northern Greece near the Turkish border.  The three men were Iraqi carrying British passports and charged with illegal possession of firearms and ammunition. The three men will be charged as being part of a criminal organization, terrorist activities, and illegal possession and transportation of firearms.

The three men were arrested in separate checkpoints by law enforcement who discovered a cache of weapons and hundreds of thousands of ammunition rounds hidden in their vehicles.  Authorities also had discovered large quantities of currency from the U.S Dollars., Turkey Lira, Iraq Dinar and Euros and also had seven mobile phones. Authorities speculate the arms were supplied from either Germany or Austria and that the Iraqi’s were to deliver them to the Turkish-Iraqi border.

Greek police stated they had no reason to believe the men were connected to the Islamic State (IS) and had contacted Eurpol and Interpol.

The three Iraqi men reported to be of Kurdish decent may have been providing support to any one of a number of Kurdish resistance movements taking place in Syria, Turkey, Iraq, and Kurdistan. Kurdish rebel forces, including the Kurdish People’s Protection (YPG) and Peshmerga forces, have been backed by the west in the fight against IS. However, the British Home Office states any citizen who chooses to fight with these groups are still considered terrorists.  The United Kingdom has not formally deemed the YPG a terrorist group, but have noted two Kurdish terrorist groups, the Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK) and Teyre Azadiye Kurdistan.

A few weeks prior to the three Iraqi’s being detained, Greek police arrested  Mirsad Bektasevic, a Bosnian jihadist, and his Yemeni accomplice near the border preparing to enter Turkey. They were carrying military style knives, and each had Swedish passports.  Bektasevic had served time in prison and was a supporter of al-Qaeda.

Greece has been on high alert after it  was discovered that one of the Paris suicide bombers had traveled through Greece back into Europe. There is also a growing concern that northern Greece may become a conduit for western jihadists to get into the Middle East through Istanbul.

Counterterrorism experts noted a combination of factors made Greece the perfect hub for terrorist operations. The country’s long land and maritime boundaries, its proximity to Turkey, the explosion of the Syrian refugees crisis, and the dire financial situation are all major factors.

Greece operates under the European Union (EU)  Schengen Area, which allows Europeans to travel, work, and live in any country without any formalities, and also, allows individuals to cross borders without any security screening process.

The European Union (EU) noted that if Greece does not start assisting with EU guidelines within 90 days, the Schengen Area will be shutdown for two years, and all incoming refugees will be prohibited from leaving Greece, a potential disaster for an already struggling economy.

Greece has found it difficult to maintain its borders, and thereby, has become an unwitting transport hub to jihadists from Europe heading to Iraq and Syria to fight, and also for those returning home from the battle fields.

A source close to the  Greek Intelligence Service told CNN, that there may be 200 individuals in Greece with connections to either the Islamic State (IS) or the al-Nusra Front in Syria.

John Nomikos, Director of the Institute of European and American Studies in Athens, has noted that the ability to track asylum seekers and would-be jihadist is difficult facing six years of recession. Budget cuts, forced retirements and/or layoffs, and an overall lack of expertise in the field has greatly impacted Greece’s security structure.

While the Iraqi’s arrested may have posed no threat to Greece, the question remains how will the Greek government maintain its borders while facing economic and political uncertainty.  The Greeks have spent so much time arguing with the EU and their allies while instead working towards a means of handling the refugees crisis and securing its borders.