The Turkish mobster who shot at the NIS (National Intelligence Service) team last Tuesday afternoon on the provincial road of Rysio, in Thermi, was arrested at dawn following a joint coordinated operation by the Organized Crime Unit of Thessaloniki and the EKAM (Special Anti-Terrorist Unit). The mobster was located in a village in the mountainous region of Rhodope, outside Komotini. Earlier, the jeep used in their escape had been located in the Asprovalta area.

So far, no further details about the operation have been released. However, the man who was arrested is the one who fired the shots and was driving the jeep, in which he was accompanied by the two other individuals who were being monitored by the NIS. This man was the primary target. Police used technological tools to track him down, utilizing phone data, footage from cameras, and intelligence reports. The Hellenic Police (ELAS) had already arrived in the village where the mobster had taken refuge by yesterday afternoon, but it was deemed too risky to carry out the operation at that time. They deployed a drone to monitor his movements and to plan the arrest when they had a full understanding of the area, potential escape routes, and confirmation that he would be alone so that no lives would be put at risk. Ultimately, the operation’s coordinators decided it was necessary to call in an EKAM unit, and at dawn, they caught the mobster in his sleep.

According to ELAS sources, the other two accomplices are still in Greece and have not managed to flee.

Efforts to locate and arrest the other two individuals are ongoing. All three are believed to be members of the notorious “Daltons” gang, which is involved in murders, drug trafficking, and other crimes. Six members of the same gang were the Turkish nationals murdered in Loutsa in 2023.