Greece: Upgrade for Leopard 1A5 tank revealed.

(Athens)  Greece has a fairly large tank force consisting on paper of:

353 Leopard 2 (mix of A6 HEL and A4)

520 Leopard 1A5 

392 M48A5 

100 M60A3 

Having a belligerent neighbour in Turkey hasn't afforded Greece the luxury to cut back on its military like European countries' to the West have done these past 30 years (But as we have seen that mindset has changed since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022). In fact Turkey has actively spent a lot of time rearming over the same time, problem for Greece, it really cant afford to spend money purchasing new tanks to replace its older ones such as the 520 Leopard 1A5 tanks it has in its inventory .

Greek Leopard 1A5

So in 2022 it asked Industry for solutions regards upgrading the Leopard 1s. First off the bat was Italy with a proposal (as offered to Brazil regards upgrading its Leopard 1 tanks) to fit the turret of the Centauro 2 tank killer onto the chassis of the Leopard 1

Centauro 2

The otherday Greek company EODH, in collaboration with Belgian-Spanish DUMA and German KNDS revealed the Leopard 1HEL concept . This entails fitting a new 1,000-horsepower engine, upgrading the drivetrain, and suspension systems, which will see higher on- and off-road speeds and better obstacle-crossing capabilities.

It also involves updating the tank's turret and hull with advanced systems and technologies whilst retaining the 105mm cannon, which will allow for the large stockpile of existing ammunition to not go to waste. For protection (with lessons learnt in the Ukraine) the latest reactive and passive armour will be fitted, which will be backed up by an active protection sensor suite all of which will increase the weight of the tank to 46 tonnes.

of course this upgrade as a complete revamp of the Leopard 1 will be just that little bit more expensive than the Italian version. Just have to wait and see what the Greeks select. 

Greece: Terrorist behind Hijack of TWA 847 and murder of US Navy sailor arrested in Greece.

(Athens) A 65-year-old Lebanese man suspected of involvement in the hijacking of TWA Flight 847 in 1985 has been arrested in Greece/ . TWA Flight 847 was seized by terrorists said to belong to Hezbollah,( a claim they deny) . During the hijack, US navy diver Robert Stretham, was beaten, shot and dumped on the tarmac at Beirut airport.

 Steelworker 2nd Class Robert Stethem

The four original hijackers  were:

• Mohammed Ali Hamadei who was arrested in Germany in 1987
• Imad Mughniyeh was killed in a 2008 bombing in Damascus,
• While Hassan Izz-Al-Din and Ali Atwa have remained at large.

Police have refused to release the suspect’s name. However several Greek media outlets have named him as Mohammed Ali Hammadi, who was paroled in 2005 and returned to Lebanon on his release. At the time Germany resisted pressure to extradite him to the United States after Hezbollah abducted two German citizens in Beirut and threatened to kill them. Hammadi, along with fellow hijacker Hasan Izz-Al-Din and Ali Atwa, remains on the FBI’s list of most wanted terrorists under the name Mohammed Ali Hamadei. The FBI offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to his capture. Lets hope. he gets extradited to the US and made to spend the rest of his life picking up the soap in a Hi Max prison shower.for his new 20 stone boyfriend Bernard.

In honour of Steelworker 2nd Class Robert Stethem, the US Navy named the  Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Stethem after him. the ship was christened on the 16 July 1994 by his mother Mrs. Patricia L. Stethem.

Ramadan Death Count: Greece: 28/05/18

(Lesbos)  Muslims at Moria refugee camp on the Isle of Lesbo took umbrage to Kurdish people who whilst Muslim weren’t fasting during ‘Ramadan’.  So instead of allowing people to do as they please, they instead picked up weapons, covered their faces and set upon the Kurds, putting 10 in hospital and killing 4.

data-lang="en-gb">

Syrian Arabs, Iraqis, Algerians, Pakistanis and Afghans Arabs attacked Kurds in #Mitilini #Greece for NOT keeping Ramadan Islamic holidays. 3 killed and tens heavy injured. @AzadiRojava @vvanwilgenburg @macergifford @4rj1n @realDonaldTrump @brett_mcgurk @SalehMaslem @sinam56 pic.twitter.com/0v6SXYJTkD

— Idris Al Oso (@IdrisAl_oso) 25 May 2018

Whilst the tweet above states 3 deaths, the newspaper article above and elsewhere place the figure at 4. Isn't it great how freedom of expression is denied under Islam. Something which is slowly creeping into the West, thanks to the PC crowd and their Islamic masters.

Ramadan death toll stands at 515

Greece: Turkish F16 Fighter jets buzz Helicopter carrying Greek army chief

(Athens)  The infantile behaviour of Turkey towards others continued today when two Turkish F-16s harassed a Chinook helicopter carrying the head of the Hellenic Army, Lieutenant General Alkiviadis Stefanis, along with other senior military officials on Thursday.

The Chinook was carrying the officers back from the small island of Ro to Rhodes when the incident took place. Like true Turks, they did a runner when Greek F16s responded to a call of help and which then escorted the helicopter back to Rhodes.

Greece: Video emerges of Turkish Patrol boat ramming Greek Coast guard vessel.

(Athens)  Not content with pissing off the Kurds, Americans, Israelis , Germans , Syrians, Cypriots  and the Iraqis. The Turks have decided that they needed to add another to that list , which is why on Monday a Turkish patrol boat decided to ram into a Greek coast guard ship which was anchored off the islets of Imia .

In response the Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias warned Ankara that Athens would not react peacefully the next time an incident happens at the Imia islets.

“The Turks ought to hear that, as they keep speaking of warnings and warnings. I have told them that Greece – and I’m saying this in the positive sense for the following countries and with regards to Turkey’s behavior – is neither Syria nor Iraq. We are a strong state with good defence, good defensive systems, good allies and high diplomatic capacity.”

He then added that he has asked his ministry’s legal service to examine seeking compensation from Turkey for the damaged coast guard vessel. If the legal service argues Greece has the right to seek damages, Kotzias said he would be very happy for Greece to act by the law.

Naturally as we are talking about Turkish aggression here, they had to get the last word in by playing the victim card. Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım responded by saying that Kotzias was being irresponsible by “adopting an approach that is not peaceful and which oversteps the line”, Which he capped off by adding:

"Turkey expected Greece to take steps to reduce tensions."

It appears that Turkey under a pocket sized dictator who has replaced a somewhat secular democracy with a Islamist theocracy has started to display the peaceful nature of relgious rule for all to see.

Greece: Sharia law courts to be limited after European Court challenge

(Athens)  On the border with Turkey can be found a sizeable number of Greek Muslims, whose right to live under Sharia law was enshrined in the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne. However time moves on and Greece is in the EU and all the citizens of the EU subscribe to the EU bill of Human rights, something which Sharia law falls foul of.

And so following a complaint to the Council of Europe’s Court of Human Rights over an inheritance dispute by a Muslim woman who lives in the north-eastern Greek city of Komotini. (Under Sharia law a male will always receive double that of a female) Greek lawmakers are going to limit the power of Sharia lawcourts by giving Greek courts priority in all cases.

Expect a complaint from Turkey.

Greece: Greek football fans attack Mohammed's birthday parade

(Athens) For almost 400 years, Greece was occupied by the Ottomans who ruled with an iron-jackboot; all non-Muslims were forbidden to ride a horse, male children from Christian villages were stolen and forced into the Janissaries and the Christian population was so heavily taxed that the effects are still felt today. The Turks, unhappy at being kicked out of Greece in 1829, murdered hundreds of thousands and the Greeks have never forgot about living under Islam.

So, when Greek football fans came across approximately 800 Pakistani Muslims parading through Athens in which to celebrate the birthday of their founder, they didn't like what they saw, and when the Muslims decided to stand their ground and taunt the Greeks, they found out the hard way about the Greek adage "Go tell the Spartans".

Greece: Leftwing Terrorist jailed for 1300 years let out on a 48 hour pass.

(Athens) A leading member of N17, (A Greek leftwing  terrorist group) convicted of personally killing more than a dozen people, has been granted leave from prison.  Dimitris Koufodinas, 44, who was sentenced in2003 to more than 1,300 years in prison for orchestrating 13 political assassinations, hundreds of bomb attacks and bank robberies. His two-day leave from prison on Thursday under a parole board ruling has  triggered a storm of protest and expressions of regret from Britain ,United States and Greece.

Somewhat ironically another convicted member of N17, Christodoulos Xiros, absconded in 2014 whilst on parole. He was captured several months later whilst trying to blow up a section of the Korydallos prison and release his fellow terrorists. 

It seems that life in Greece doesn't mean life at all.

Greece: The Hellenic Navy in 2017

(Athens) The Hellenic Navy in 2017:

Greece: Four Pakistani teens arrested for gang raping a... male Pakistani teen

(Lesbos) Four Pakistani teenagers, free from the diktats of Islam found in Islamic countries, praised Allah when they found shelter in a migrant camp on the Greek Island of Lesbos and, knowing that they wouldn't get punished by sharia law for having extramarital sex, went out of their way in which to sate their sexual desire. Spotting a fellow 16-year-old Pakistani male, they decided that he would do, so they gang raped him. But what makes this evil act even worse is they actually filmed themselves doing so.

Well, as this is the West, these Islamic rapists have been arrested and tomorrow they will face charges of felony rape and child pornography.

Video: Greek Apache gunship crashes into sea. Both crew are safe.

(Greece) A Greek army AH-64DHA Apache gunship came a cropper when it crashed into the sea just off the coast of Halkidiki Vrasna whilst on Exercise SARISA 2016, which is an annual Greek led NATO exercise involving the three branches of the Greek Armed Forces and U.S. Special Forces.

Well, things didn't go too well for the 2-man crew of the helicopter after it crashed into the sea on Tuesday. Thankfully, both survived. Not sure if they will survive the board of inquiry though.

Greek parliament calls for recognition of ‘Palestine’

Every time you contemplate supporting a Palestinian state, pause, look at this photo, and ask yourself WHY? pic.twitter.com/8icsbkla1T

— Real Palestinian (@shim_rational) December 17, 2015

Greek parliament calls for recognition of ‘Palestine’ https://t.co/i4WBSBASUw #ArabIsraeliConflict pic.twitter.com/OruvudEG72

— The Jerusalem Post (@Jerusalem_Post) December 22, 2015

The Greek parliament, as expected, became the latest European legislative body to recommend recognition of a Palestinian state.

The vote took place during a special parliament meeting attended by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. The resolution is non-binding. Several other European parliaments, such as in Britain, Ireland and France, have passed similar resolutions.

Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely quickly responded to the resolution, issuing a statement saying that Abbas and the PA are continuing to choose unilateral steps to receive “recognition that has no practical significance.”

“Instead of Abu Mazen [Abbas] ending incitement and funding terrorism, he goes on a twisted path that will lead him nowhere,” she said.

Report: Third Paris stadium suicide bomber identified as refugee who came via Greece

[#AppelàTémoins] La #PJ cherche à identifier le 3ème auteur d'un des attentats du 13/11 #StadeDeFrance #ParisAttacks pic.twitter.com/TZxieSUlyY

— Police Nationale (@PNationale) November 22, 2015

(RT) The third suicide bomber who blew himself up outside of Paris’ Stade de France stadium last week has been identified by BBC as a man who arrived at the Greek island of Leros together with another attacker called Ahmad al Mohammad.

French police released a photo of the third Stade de France suicide bomber earlier on Sunday, seeking help in identifying the individual.

The BBC looked at the arrival papers of a man called M al Mahmod, who arrived at the Island of Leros on October 3, and discovered that the picture is identical to the photo released by the French police.

Mahmod entered the EU along with another attacker supposedly named Ahmad al Mohammad, whose Syrian passport was found near the site of the attack.

Mahmod left Leros accompanied by al Mohammad and other Syrian refugees.

Greece: 'Nearly impossible' to find jihadists among migrants

Can You Say "ISIS MILITANTS" 3 Times Fast??? Otherwise You Are A Liberal👈 When Will They Learn⁉ 😳 #StoptheInvasion pic.twitter.com/6kl2wiwk2A

— Susan Gaeta (@GaetaSusan) November 21, 2015

Lesbos (Greece) (AFP) - As the hunt for jihadists widens after last week's Paris attacks, authorities in Greece warn it was virtually impossible to pick out dangerous extremists among arriving migrants, without prior intelligence.

"If they are not already registered in the database, it's nearly impossible," says Dimitris Amountzias, police captain in charge of Moria, Greece's main registration camp on the island of Lesbos.

At the camp, dozens of migrants and refugees queue to give their fingerprints, have a photo taken and be quizzed by agents from European border agency Frontex.

It's a seemingly detailed security check, but jihadists have already proven they can bypass it with ease.

The suspected architect of the Paris attacks that killed 130 people, 28-year-old Abdelhamid Abaaoud, escaped from Europe to Syria and returned without being detected.

More...

Blocked Muslim migrants protest at Greece-Macedonia border

IDOMENI, Greece (AP) — About 1,300 migrants gathered in the Greek town Idomeni have been protesting peacefully against the decision by Macedonian authorities across the border to turn away migrants who are not from war zones such as Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq.

Most of the protesters were from Morocco, but some were also from Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Lebanon, Iran, Pakistan, Bangladesh and the Congo. They demanded to be allowed in, shouting slogans, such as "Freedom!" ''We are not terrorists" and "We are not going back." An undetermined number have also gone on hunger strike.

By early afternoon most protesters had withdrawn from the border and set up tents a short distance away.

Macedonian authorities took the decision to exclude migrants from non-war countries earlier this week on the heels of similar action by Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia. The excluded migrants have been camping in Idomeni for three days.

Report: One of the Paris ISIS bombers was rescued from a thinking Muslim migrant boat

SAVED TO KILL: According to Greek media, 1 of the #ParisAttacks #ISIS bombers was rescued off a sinking migrant boat pic.twitter.com/XizCuHHEIO

— Israel News Flash (@ILNewsFlash) November 15, 2015

BREAKING NEWS - GREECE: Government sources say a second suspected Paris terrorist is very likely to have passed through Greece.

— Israel News Feed (@IsraelHatzolah) November 14, 2015

Greece: Migrants accused of bringing CHOLERA to Kos as tourist struck down with disease

(Express) It is feared that the bacterial infection may have been brought in through the influx of migrants arriving on the Greek island, which has become a main entry point for those fleeing war-torn countries.

An official from the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that a 79-year-old Dutch tourist with symptoms of cholera was transferred from Kos for tests and treatment in an Athens hospital.

The patient was suffering from bad diarrhoea and high fever, but the diagnosis has not yet been confirmed.

The centre said in a statement: "We are proceeding with more examinations to avoid the danger of a contagious disease.

"There are fears that a case may have been transmitted through the migratory wave."

Cholera is extremely rare in Greece, with the last confirmed case reported in 1993, according to the World Health Organisation.

The disease, which is most common in the Middle East, Africa and south-east Asia, is spread mainly through contaminated water and food.

If untreated, cholera can cause death by dehydration and kidney failure within hours.

More than 200,000 refugees are believed to have landed in Italy and Greece so far this year.

Most heading for Greece take the relatively short voyage from Turkey to the islands of Kos, Chios, Lesvos and Samos - often in flimsy rubber dinghies and wooden boats.

The small Greek islands have struggled to cope with the thousands of refugees arriving and have largely relied on volunteers.

At least 350,000 migrants have arrived on European soil between January and August this year, compared to 280,000 for the whole of 2014.

Report: IDF Appoints Special Team to Plan Strike on Iran

IDF held drill with Greek army two months ago to test the S300 Russian anti-missile system.

Excerpt (INN):

A source close to [Defense Minister] Ya'alon was quoted by Walla! saying, "nothing has changed regarding the military option. Our working assumption is that Iran is lying all the time, beyond the fact that it is funding and directing terror in the Middle East. It (Iran) is our most bitter enemy today, even though we don't share a physical border with it, and we must not put off any kind of preparedness against it."

"In the end we don't believe Iran. We don't believe the (nuclear) project will be stopped. Therefore the (military) option will remain. ...We need to be ready also for the day in which Israel will need to make decisions alone. (What) if it becomes clear they are pushing the envelope in breach of the agreement? Or if Iran goes down deep underground (with its nuclear facilities)? And if new sites are found? Will we wait for the US to take care of them?"

"You have to prepare yourself for all of the threats. Not only for Gaza and Lebanon," added the source. "The military option costs money but the more time goes by, you're better prepared to carry out the mission."

Indicating Israel's growing preparedness ahead of a potential military clash with Iran, the IAF held a special drill with the Greek air force two months ago, in which roughly 100 members of the IAF took part including dozens of crews from all the F-16i squadrons.

The unusual drill had IAF pilots operating in unfamiliar territory for a night and the following day, and included simulations of strikes and dogfights involving dozens of fighter jets.

Most importantly, in the drill the Greek army reportedly deployed advanced anti-missile defense systems similar to the Russian S-300 that Moscow sold to Iran and has yet to ship. The advanced S-300 system is considered to be a major challenge in carrying out an airstrike in that it can shoot down rockets as well as jets.

Greece and Germany Agree the Euro Can't Work

(Bloomberg View) Ahead of Monday's European Union summit, the only thing you can rule out is a happy ending. Whatever happens at the leaders' meeting -- even if a deal of some sort emerges -- the EU has suffered lasting and perhaps irreparable damage. The available choices run from bad to terrible.

The costs to Greece and to the EU of a default followed by Greece's ejection from the euro system could be huge. But even if the worst doesn't happen, Europe has suffered a total breakdown of trust and goodwill. That can't easily be undone -- and it's a dagger pointed at the heart of the entire project.

Two things, I believe, will strike historians as they look back on this collapse of European solidarity. The first is that the principals were able to draw such a poisonous dispute out of such an easily solvable problem. The second helps to explain why that was possible: Greece and its partners fell out thanks to a delusion they have in common -- the idea that sharing a currency can leave fiscal sovereignty intact.

More...

Greek farmers who shot 28 Bangladeshi workers for demanding more pay walk free from court

(Patras) Last April, Greek farmers opened fire with shotguns on immigrant (cheap labour) workers who had asked to be paid for six months of unpaid labour. Dozens were injured, four of them severely.

Later investigations found that the workers had been living and working in squalid conditions without basic sanitation, and the case brought attention to the plight of foreign workers in Greece's desperate economy.

Well, for the crime of opening fire, the farmers had their day in court, and what do you know, today, 2 of the farmers were allowed to walk free from court, and 2 others who were found guilty and sentenced to 14 years and seven months and eight years and seven months respectively were also allowed to walk free from court.

So much for Greece being the home of democracy.