By Makis Synodinos

A terrorist attack that would drown innocent citizens who frequent a Jewish synagogue housed in a well-known restaurant in Psirri was prevented by the Greek authorities by arresting the two would-be terrorists after a coordinated anti-terrorist operation.
According to what has become known, the two arrested, 27 and 29 years of Pakistani nationality, had put forward their plan for months that would cause mass bloodshed in the synagogue while they were in the final phase to carry it out.

They had completed the site reconnaissance and had planned the attack in consultation with the network’s “mastermind” who was reportedly operating in Tehran.

All that was left was to recruit others, mainly their own countrymen, to carry out their mission.

According to a senior officer of ELAS, the possibility that the two Pakistanis carried out the terrorist attack during the Jewish Passover, which this year begins on Wednesday, April 5 and ends on Thursday, April 13, is being considered by both the EYP and the anti-terrorist agency. On these days the synagogue as well as the Jewish restaurant would be full of prominent members of the Jewish community, something that suited the plans of the two terrorists who wanted to spill as much blood as possible.

Besides, according to data that the Greek authorities have in their hands, the two arrested had made a deal with the “guide” since they would get 10,000-15,000 for each dead person.

This was also the reason they were thinking of carrying out the attack when the synagogue would be full of people using poison gas or explosives and then entering with kalashnikov type weapons.

From the explosion or the gases most would die instantly and then those who survived would be killed by the terrorists.

The profile of terrorists

From the information so far, it seems that they have been illegally in Greece without legal documents for the last 4-5 years. They are aged 27 and 29 and worked mainly in the countryside – in Zakynthos and Sparta – in agricultural work.

During their stay in Athens, they stayed in a room they had rented in Omonia, while their arrest took place in the center of the capital in mid-February.

As members of a terrorist network, in addition to the attack on the Jewish restaurant-synagogue in Psirri, they also planned murders, for which they would receive payment.

Prosecutions were brought against him for participation in and management of a criminal organization as well as incitement to participate in terrorist acts, while from an investigation, the authorities seized mobile phones, USB sticks and other items which were sent for examination to forensic laboratories.

Mossad’s contribution to the capture of terrorists

According to the Israeli authorities, the Mossad was involved in the case of dismantling the terrorist ring that was a step before it bloodied the Jewish synagogue.

In a statement issued by the office of the Prime Minister of Israel on behalf of the Mossad, it specifically stated:

“The case revealed today in Greece is a serious matter that was successfully prevented by the Greek security forces. It was a further attempt by Iran to commit terrorism against Israeli and Jewish targets abroad. After the investigation into the suspects began in Greece, the Mossad provided intelligence assistance to reveal its structure, working methods and connection to Iran. The investigation revealed that the structure operating in Greece is part of an extensive Iranian network run by Iran and spanning several countries. The Mossad, together with its partners in the community, is working tirelessly to prevent Iranian attack attempts around the world.”