Grave concerns that pro-ISIS recruiters are among refugees in Greek hotspots

Europol force to collaborate Greek authorities to detect suspects

Greek authorities are expressing concerns that extreme, pro-ISIS islamists are infiltrating into the country via the refugee flows. The Greek National Intelligence Services (EYP) have boosted their presence on the eastern Aegean islands, where the flow of refugees and migrants have started to rise in the past months following the coup attempt in Turkey, in an attempt to detect extreme islamist elements among the refugees and migrants being hosted at centres. A state source confirmed to ‘Thema’ that ‘suspicious individuals’ that traveled from Turkey to Greece could possibly have close ties to the Islamic State (ISIS). The official said that a specialised anti-terrorist Europol task force had arrived in Greece to aid in the process of detecting such suspects among refugees at the hotspots and reception centres on the Greek islands. Meanwhile, Greek authorities have also requested the assistance of the Turkish secret services (MIT), who have valuable information on the identity of some of the migrants and refugees entering Greece via Turkey. The same source said that Turkey was either facilitating or not hindering the movement of refugees and migrants into Greece in an effort to diminish the risks of ISIS attacks in Turkey. A group of suspect ‘refugees’ travelling from Turkey to Greece via the islands of Leros and Kos are being sought after by Greek authorities. The men, whose traces were lost after they reached Athens, were registered as Syrians upon entering Greece, but were unable to use the country’s Arabic dialect and had no geographical knowledge of Syria when questioned. According to information, in 2015 ISIS instructed some of its members to infiltrate the refugee camps and hotspots in Greece to spread pro-ISIS messages and possibly recruit individuals among the refugees. The Greek source says some of these individuals even had USB sticks on them with clear instructions as to how to accost ‘prospects’, what to tell them and what videos to show them. Some refugees have alleged that they were approached by ‘strange’ individuals propagating extreme islamic interpretations and condoning the Islamic State and its actions. Meanwhile, the Greek coast guard and police, assigned with guarding the hotspots on the Aegean islands and mainland Greece, have also noted the ‘strange behaviours’ by specific individuals at the reception centres.