The attempted assassination against the former prime minister and leader of the main opposition New Democracy party Costas Karamanlis was the main feature on George Trangas' "CRASH" magazine which was released today. The magazine this month features never before published classified documents, several intelligence reports as well as new Wikileaks cables centering on the period of Karamanlis' rule. Hellasfrappe had featured the assassination attempt against the former Prime Minister when a similar magazine, Epikaira, published the classified documents in mid June, 2011. The shocking revelations in CRASH give even more details about this dark period, as well as further explain how Karamanlis was forced to live as a hostage for almost 242 days before he stepped down from power.
CRASH magazine claims that Karamanlis was toppled by George Papandreou and the PASOK government because he went against the US on the issue of FYROM and because he sided with Russia on defense cooperation as well as energy pipelines.
It claims that on the evening of February 5, 2009, the then head of the Greek Secret Services (EYP), gave former Interior Minister Prokopis Pavlopoulos an envelope with the results of an investigation which was conducted by the Russian Secret Service (FSB) after they discovered that one of Karamanlis phones were tapped in a conversation the former premier had with Vladimir Putin.
From that evening on, and until October 4th of the same year, the night he lost the national elections, Costas Karamanlis was a "hostage." He was monitored 24 hours a day and in constant threat. Two nights before the polls opened and while speaking in Pedion Tou Areos in Athens to an audience of thousands, a bomb exploded near the stage just before he gave his speech.
Trangas reveals how the former prime minister was forced to step down from power earlier than he anticipated (as well as many others) in his career. The reason for this, says CRASH magazine, is because Karamanlis received a telegram from a "western intelligence center" that was intercepted by Greek and Russian intelligence officials in March 2009 that basically gave him the ultimatum you"must immediately exit from power" or else.
Following this, Karamanlis apparently told friends: "During that period I lived in a quarantine. I never thought that they would result to murdering a prime minister of a western country. "
The same source told CRASH magazine that since that day everything changed in Karamanlis' life and his daily schedule was not the same. "I did not say anything to Natasha (his wife), but she began to suspect something was going on since there were increased security forces in and around the house." the same source reveals.
CRASH magazine also claims that intelligence officials found firearms in a house that faces Karamanlis' home in Rafina. In fact the officials were horrified when they discovered the firearms since they were aiming directly at a window at the former Prime Minister's residence!
Early on Thursday and before the magazine was released George Trangas was a guest on ANT1's "Kalimera Ellada" with host George Papadakis. Promoting the magazine, Trangas shocked his hosts when he said that the Americans were not the only ones wiretapping Karamanlis.... Greece wiretapped the Americans as well. And all these conversations were documented, he added. This angered the US claims Trangas "and they do not forgive easily."
The article in CRASH also speaks about how German Chancellor Angela Merkel pressured Costas Karamanlis to wave his veto against the issue of FYROM. (We revealed the story several days ago, click here)
Trangas also reveals in the magazine how American officials, would rant and rave all day at the embassy demanding that his sources dish out some"beef" so that they can feed the "monster". The beef being anything scandalous and negative against Costas Karamanlis, and the monster explains Trangas was the CIA. CRASH features this specific story as well in the magazine.
According to magazine on the night of national elections in 2007 (just a little while after the suspicious grand fires all over Greece), Costas Karamanlis, had told his wife that his government had no more than 15 months life left.
Three incidents that totally took Karamanlis by surprise
The magazine also speaks about thee incidents in March-April 2009, that totally took Karamanlis by surprise. These are:
The explosive device found outside the offices of CGC on March 19, 2009. The fact that it was detonated at the Mortgage Association state building which is located at the junction of Alexandra Avenue and Koniari street raised much concern. What was not known by many was the fact that the motorcade of Costas Karamanlis passed from here when he left his apartment on Lycabettus Hill.
The second occurred at the end of January, when the Greek secret services delivered three monthly factsheets with their findings from a wiretapping they themselves conducted on American diplomats.
According to CRASH magazine Costas Karamanlis, was also bewildered by the wiretapping that was conducted on one of his private phones in 2006 and from that moment on he realized that he was being monitored. (Hellasfrappe also featured this story. Please click here to read Greek Watergate Scandal)
Explaining why he remained silent about the Watergate scandal, the former prime minister apparently told close friends that he did not want to create chaos and that it was unclear who or at what level from the American leadership gave the orders for the wiretapping to occur in the first place. "I have never had a mobile. I only had one and gave it to Natasha (his wife) long before winning the elections "the same source told CRASH.
The NO to FYROM's accession to NATO
According to CRASH, Karamanlis had angered the US with his constant denials on matters that dealt with foreign policy.
These included the "no" by Greece at the NATO summit in the spring of 2008, which did not allow FYROM's accession to NATO, and the refusal of Karamanlis to make a statement against Russia when the war broke out in Georgia,
Karamanlis distanced himself more and more from the Americans, who stood by anw watched him order 450 tanks from the Russians, and meet eight times with Vladimir Putin.
When Karamanlis finally decided to move with energy cooperation with Russia, Putin apparently told him at some point that he should prepare himself "to accept attacks."
Indeed, CRASH magazine says that Costas Karamanlis received many attacks after this since more than 1000 intelligence reports mysteriously "disappeared" from the premier's office and shortly after this happened various stories began to surface in the Greek media presenting Karamanlis as an alcoholic, mentally fragile and even annoyed with his ministers. Of course these were all lies, and propaganda says the magazine, which wanted to discredit Karamanlis in the only power he had, which was the love of the people of Greece.
Unfortunately two years of propaganda, numerous fabricated scandals, and tonnes of lies later, they did, and many turned their backs on the former PM. Mission accomplished for his enemies.
According to magazine on the night of national elections in 2007 (just a little while after the suspicious grand fires all over Greece), Costas Karamanlis, had told his wife that his government had no more than 15 months life left.
Three incidents that totally took Karamanlis by surprise
The magazine also speaks about thee incidents in March-April 2009, that totally took Karamanlis by surprise. These are:
The explosive device found outside the offices of CGC on March 19, 2009. The fact that it was detonated at the Mortgage Association state building which is located at the junction of Alexandra Avenue and Koniari street raised much concern. What was not known by many was the fact that the motorcade of Costas Karamanlis passed from here when he left his apartment on Lycabettus Hill.
The second occurred at the end of January, when the Greek secret services delivered three monthly factsheets with their findings from a wiretapping they themselves conducted on American diplomats.
- One tapping recorded one official as saying that "in six months, Karamanlis will be a thing of the past." The diplomat, from the Consul in Thessaloniki was exposed by several top secret documents for behaving suspiciously in the area of Thrace with the Muslim minority there in a recent Epikaira Magazine article. (We featured this story on hellasfrappe last month. Please click here for that story)
According to CRASH magazine Costas Karamanlis, was also bewildered by the wiretapping that was conducted on one of his private phones in 2006 and from that moment on he realized that he was being monitored. (Hellasfrappe also featured this story. Please click here to read Greek Watergate Scandal)
Explaining why he remained silent about the Watergate scandal, the former prime minister apparently told close friends that he did not want to create chaos and that it was unclear who or at what level from the American leadership gave the orders for the wiretapping to occur in the first place. "I have never had a mobile. I only had one and gave it to Natasha (his wife) long before winning the elections "the same source told CRASH.
The NO to FYROM's accession to NATO
According to CRASH, Karamanlis had angered the US with his constant denials on matters that dealt with foreign policy.
These included the "no" by Greece at the NATO summit in the spring of 2008, which did not allow FYROM's accession to NATO, and the refusal of Karamanlis to make a statement against Russia when the war broke out in Georgia,
Karamanlis distanced himself more and more from the Americans, who stood by anw watched him order 450 tanks from the Russians, and meet eight times with Vladimir Putin.
When Karamanlis finally decided to move with energy cooperation with Russia, Putin apparently told him at some point that he should prepare himself "to accept attacks."
Indeed, CRASH magazine says that Costas Karamanlis received many attacks after this since more than 1000 intelligence reports mysteriously "disappeared" from the premier's office and shortly after this happened various stories began to surface in the Greek media presenting Karamanlis as an alcoholic, mentally fragile and even annoyed with his ministers. Of course these were all lies, and propaganda says the magazine, which wanted to discredit Karamanlis in the only power he had, which was the love of the people of Greece.
Unfortunately two years of propaganda, numerous fabricated scandals, and tonnes of lies later, they did, and many turned their backs on the former PM. Mission accomplished for his enemies.
The article in CRASH magazine is just one of the two that are circulating this week. In this week's issue of Epikaira Magazine journalist Manolis Kottakis debuts his new book entitled "Karamanlis, Off The Record".
Following two
full years of complete silence, the name, unknown bits and pieces of Karamanlis' life during the
time he governed Greece will finally be brought to light". The book is to be released in the next few
days, but several chapters were featured in Epikaira magazine and we
here at hellasfrappe are dismayed, disturbed and very concerned with
everything that we have read so far. The small excerpts that have been
released clearly prove why this man remained silent all this time. In fact, there
is no need for him to speak, especially in a setting that stinks corruption on
every given God forsaken front.
The
500 page novel also dives into what goes on behind closed
doors in the political and diplomatic world. Epikaira magazine, which has published numerous never
before read controversial and classified documents, Wikileaks cables and
intelligence reports (just like the article in CRASH) and which has as featured stories that have raised much discussion (in foreign and domestic circles) is now making a comeback
with this article which will surely dominate the news in the
days to come.
We here at hellasfrappe will feature this story on the weekend, as well as even more bits and pieces from CRASH magazine. We have both magazines in our hands, and we are still coming to terms with everything that we are reading.
Editor's Note: Keep in mind that if you want to read more about the assassination attempt on Karamanlis, please click here. If you want to read the various Wikileaks articles that we have featured over the past few months that were recorded during Karamanlis' rule and that back up the story in CRASH magazine simply go to our category Wikileaks (or click here) and select the story that you want to read. (If on the other you want to read about Costas Karamanlis, which incidentally was the first story published on hellasfrappe please click here)
We here at hellasfrappe will feature this story on the weekend, as well as even more bits and pieces from CRASH magazine. We have both magazines in our hands, and we are still coming to terms with everything that we are reading.
Editor's Note: Keep in mind that if you want to read more about the assassination attempt on Karamanlis, please click here. If you want to read the various Wikileaks articles that we have featured over the past few months that were recorded during Karamanlis' rule and that back up the story in CRASH magazine simply go to our category Wikileaks (or click here) and select the story that you want to read. (If on the other you want to read about Costas Karamanlis, which incidentally was the first story published on hellasfrappe please click here)