Special Anti-Terrorist Unit
Encyclopedia
The Special Suppressive Anti-Terrorist Unit is the Greek
counter-terrorism unit of the Hellenic Police. It is the most distinguished part of the Hellenic Police. It was formed in 1978 when the first two anti-terrorist units were created within the two Police Divisions that existed then (Hellenic Gendarmerie and the Cities Police
) and in 1984 were united into a single body, the Hellenic Police. In the beginning the Unit had only 150 men but when Greece became the host country of the Olympic Games of 2004
their number increased to 200 after reassessing the needs for the magnitude of the event.
, but have several detachments spread throughout Greece's major cities. Each officer is a full time member who must have at least five years on the force before being allowed to try out. Many receive training from the Greek Army's
Ranger School before going on to the police counter-terrorism school.
The Special Suppressive Anti-Terrorist Unit of the Hellenic Police follows a three month training program every year. For its training modern, purpose-built facilities are being used. Training can also take place in other locations such as buildings in urban or rural areas (inhabited or not), the Athens International Airport, planes of Olympic Airways, the Piraeus
port infrastructure, the Hellenic Railroad
system, the Athens Metro
. Other places that have been decided as suitable to cover its training needs can also be used. The Unit is in constant cooperation with other Special Units abroad such as the FBI
and SAS
.
and Revolutionary People's Struggle terrorist organizations. In March 2003, it confronted successfully an incident on a Turkish Aeroplane
which was hijacked while it flew from Istanbul
to Ankara
(flight no. 160) and ended up at the Athens International Airport at the order of the hijacker. In a successful operation the Unit stormed the plane and arrested the hijacker by incapacitating him with a taser and releasing all hostages safely.
All the above sniper rifles can be also be equipped with a special nightvision AN-PVS10 scope.
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
counter-terrorism unit of the Hellenic Police. It is the most distinguished part of the Hellenic Police. It was formed in 1978 when the first two anti-terrorist units were created within the two Police Divisions that existed then (Hellenic Gendarmerie and the Cities Police
Cities Police
The Cities Police was a Greek police force extant from 1921 to 1984, responsible for policing urban areas. It complemented the Greek Gendarmerie, which was responsible for rural and suburban areas.- History :...
) and in 1984 were united into a single body, the Hellenic Police. In the beginning the Unit had only 150 men but when Greece became the host country of the Olympic Games of 2004
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
their number increased to 200 after reassessing the needs for the magnitude of the event.
Training
The EKAM force is based in AthensAthens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, but have several detachments spread throughout Greece's major cities. Each officer is a full time member who must have at least five years on the force before being allowed to try out. Many receive training from the Greek Army's
Hellenic Army
The Hellenic Army , formed in 1828, is the land force of Greece.The motto of the Hellenic Army is , "Freedom Stems from Valor", from Thucydides's History of the Peloponnesian War...
Ranger School before going on to the police counter-terrorism school.
The Special Suppressive Anti-Terrorist Unit of the Hellenic Police follows a three month training program every year. For its training modern, purpose-built facilities are being used. Training can also take place in other locations such as buildings in urban or rural areas (inhabited or not), the Athens International Airport, planes of Olympic Airways, the Piraeus
Piraeus
Piraeus is a city in the region of Attica, Greece. Piraeus is located within the Athens Urban Area, 12 km southwest from its city center , and lies along the east coast of the Saronic Gulf....
port infrastructure, the Hellenic Railroad
Transport in Greece
Transport in Greece has undergone significant changes in the past two decades, vastly modernizing the country's infrastructure. Although ferry transport between islands remains the prominent method of transport between the nations islands, improvements to the road infrastructure, rail, urban...
system, the Athens Metro
Athens Metro
The Athens Metro is an underground rapid transit system serving Athens, the capital city of Greece. It was constructed and owned by Attiko Metro S.A. and operated until 2011 by Attiko Metro Etaireia Leitourgias S.A....
. Other places that have been decided as suitable to cover its training needs can also be used. The Unit is in constant cooperation with other Special Units abroad such as the FBI
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
and SAS
Special Air Service
Special Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...
.
Operations
The Special Suppressive Anti-Terrorist Unit of the Hellenic Police, operates all around Greece and abroad whenever is deemed necessary. It has confronted challenges such as hostage situations and it has contributed in the arrests of many dangerous criminals. The EKAM played a key role in the dismantling of the November 17Revolutionary Organization 17 November
Revolutionary Organization 17 November , was a Marxist urban guerrilla organization formed in 1975 and believed to have been disbanded in 2002 after the arrest and trial of a...
and Revolutionary People's Struggle terrorist organizations. In March 2003, it confronted successfully an incident on a Turkish Aeroplane
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
which was hijacked while it flew from Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
to Ankara
Ankara
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
(flight no. 160) and ended up at the Athens International Airport at the order of the hijacker. In a successful operation the Unit stormed the plane and arrested the hijacker by incapacitating him with a taser and releasing all hostages safely.
Duties
- Hostage situation response
- High risk arrests
- High risk VIP's escort
- W.M.D (Weapons of mass destructionWeapons of mass destructionA weapon of mass destruction is a weapon that can kill and bring significant harm to a large number of humans and/or cause great damage to man-made structures , natural structures , or the biosphere in general...
) (C.B.R.N) hostage situation, intrusion response - Special antiterrorism operations and operations against organized crimeOrganized crimeOrganized crime or criminal organizations are transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals for the purpose of engaging in illegal activity, most commonly for monetary profit. Some criminal organizations, such as terrorist organizations, are...
in collaboration with the Hellenic Security Forces - Rescue operations in general including physical disasters in cooperation with the Fire Brigade
Pistols
- Glock 21 .45 caliber
- Sig Sauer P229 .357 caliber
- FN Herstal FN Five-seven 5,7x28 mm
- Ruger GP-100 .357 Magnum revolver
Submachine Guns
- Heckler & KochHeckler & KochHeckler & Koch GmbH is a German defense manufacturing company that produces various small arms. Some of their products include the SA80, MP5 submachine gun, G3 automatic rifle, the G36 assault rifle, the HK 416, the MP7 personal defense weapon, the USP series of handguns, and the high-precision...
MP5 9x19mm Parabellum. Versions used: MP5A3, MP5A4, MP5A5, MP5SD, MP5k and MP5k2 - FN Herstal P90FN P90The FN P90 is a selective fire personal defense weapon designed and manufactured by FN Herstal in Belgium. The P90's name is taken from 1990, the year it was introduced...
5,7x28 mm - FN Herstal Uzi 9x19mm Parabellum
Assault Rifles
- ColtColt-Firearms company and related:*Colt's Manufacturing Company, an American firearm company*Samuel Colt , its founder*Colt revolver, a firearm made by the company*Colt 45 , various meanings stemming from usage as the name of a firearm...
M16A4 5,56x45 mm - ColtColt-Firearms company and related:*Colt's Manufacturing Company, an American firearm company*Samuel Colt , its founder*Colt revolver, a firearm made by the company*Colt 45 , various meanings stemming from usage as the name of a firearm...
M16A2 5,56x45 mm - ColtColt-Firearms company and related:*Colt's Manufacturing Company, an American firearm company*Samuel Colt , its founder*Colt revolver, a firearm made by the company*Colt 45 , various meanings stemming from usage as the name of a firearm...
M4A1 Carbine 5,56x45 mm - Heckler & KochHeckler & KochHeckler & Koch GmbH is a German defense manufacturing company that produces various small arms. Some of their products include the SA80, MP5 submachine gun, G3 automatic rifle, the G36 assault rifle, the HK 416, the MP7 personal defense weapon, the USP series of handguns, and the high-precision...
G3A3 7,62x51 mm - Izmash AK47 7,62x39 mm
Sniper Rifles
- Sako TRGSako TRGSako TRG-22/42 sniper rifles were developed by the Finnish firearm manufacturer SAKO of Riihimäki. The TRG-22 is designed to fire standard .308 Winchester ammunition, while the TRG-42 is designed to fire more powerful .300 Winchester Magnum and .338 Lapua Magnum ammunition and therefore has a...
7,62x51mm and .338 Lapua Magnum cartridges with mounted 6x44 scopes. - Heckler & KochHeckler & KochHeckler & Koch GmbH is a German defense manufacturing company that produces various small arms. Some of their products include the SA80, MP5 submachine gun, G3 automatic rifle, the G36 assault rifle, the HK 416, the MP7 personal defense weapon, the USP series of handguns, and the high-precision...
PSG-1 7,62x51 with Carl ZeissCarl ZeissCarl Zeiss was a German maker of optical instruments commonly known for the company he founded, Carl Zeiss Jena . Zeiss made contributions to lens manufacturing that have aided the modern production of lenses...
1,5-6x42 scope - Accuracy International Arctic WarfareAccuracy International Arctic WarfareThe Accuracy International Arctic Warfare rifle is a family of bolt-action sniper rifles designed and manufactured by the British company Accuracy International...
with both 7,62x51 and .338 Lapua Magnum with mounted Smith and Bender 3-12x50 scopes - Knight's Armament CompanyKnight's Armament CompanyKnight's Armament Company is an American firearms and firearms parts manufacturer.It is owned by C. Reed Knight and based in Titusville, Florida. KAC is best known for producing the Rail Interface System and the Rail Adapter System grips for military firearms...
SR-25 StonerSR-25The SR-25 is a semi-automatic sniper rifle designed by Eugene Stoner and manufactured by Knight's Armament Company. The SR-25 uses a rotating bolt and a direct impingement gas system. It is loosely based on Stoner's AR-10, rebuilt in its original 7.62×51mm NATO caliber...
7,62x51 with mounted LeopoldLeopold-Literature:* Aldo Leopold , American author, ecologist, forester, and environmentalist* Jan Hendrik Leopold , Dutch poet and classicist-Crime:* Nathan Leopold Jr , convicted of the kidnap and murder of Bobby Franks-Music:...
3-12x50 scopes
All the above sniper rifles can be also be equipped with a special nightvision AN-PVS10 scope.