A firearm was used by Turkish traffickers against Hellenic Coast Guard officers outside Agios Fokas in Lesvos after they had landed illegal migrants on the island.

In its statement on the incident, the Coast Guard said that during the approach, one of the four smugglers on board the boat fired at the patrol boat.

“Following this, shots were fired in a safe area by the crew of the Coast Guard patrol boat, resulting in the Turkish fishing boat leaving on an easterly course for the opposite Turkish coast,” the same update noted.

The chronicle of the case

It all started when a Turkish wooden boat landed 25 migrants on the coast of Agios Fokas in Lesvos. The three smugglers on board, upon noticing the approach of a Greek patrol boat, pulled out weapons and unleashed a barrage of gunfire, penetrating the keel of the Greek vessel, according to nealesvou.gr.

The Greek crew, despite the fierce attack, did not relent in their action. It continued to pursue the Turkish vessel until Turkish coastguard intervened, which approached and escorted the suspect vessel within Turkish territorial waters.

The Greek patrol boat bears the name of heroic coast guard officer Kyriakos Papadopoulos, who was decorated for his actions during the 2015 refugee crisis. It was discovered that bullets were ricocheted into the cabin of the boat, which could have caused injuries to the coast guard officers if they were not covered inside the boat.