THESSALONIKI, Greece (AP) — A Greek border guard was shot in the abdomen Saturday while patrolling an area near the Greek-Turkish border where illegal migrants are trying to cross into the European Union, Greek police said. The injury is not life-threatening.
According to police, shortly after 6pm on Saturday, four Greek border patrol officers were on duty along the Evros River, the land border with Turkey, when they heard three or four gunshots ring out from the Turkish side.
The bullet struck one of the border guards in the lower abdomen, and the injured man was taken to a hospital in Didymotheitcho where he underwent surgery, police said.
Police added that the injured officer’s condition is stable and his injuries are not life-threatening.
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Greek media reported that police believe the shooter was probably a human trafficker. The officials, who are banned from discussing cases under investigation and asked not to be named, said they were not aware of the allegations.
The bullets were fired from a pistol, police said in a statement.
An officer on patrol detected movement on the Turkish side, but couldn’t see how many people were there because of thick vegetation. Several more border guards converged on the scene, and no crossing took place.
The Border Guard is a special unit of the Greek Police.
