Our accidental spies, who flew to Greece on a plane spotting holiday are still under arrest in Greece, it is almost a month since this story first hit the headlines. Twelve members of a plane spotting “Club” travelled to Greece with Touchdown Tours, who specialise in plane spotting holidays. The owner of Touchdown Tours is Paul Copping who along with his newly wedded wife were part of the tour and are also under arrest in Greece on espionage charges.
In the UK there have been no end of support for the Copping couple from friends, relatives, the local member of parliament and the member of the European parliament, in fact the MEP has actually been out to Greece to see the plane spotters and demand their release, this of course has not happened.
There are more charges in the pipeline for the group in particular the leader of the tour and owner of the travel company touchdown tours, for it is claimed that he has links with the Turkish Intelligence service, it is well known that the governments of Greece and Turkey have been bitter enemies for decades, this new allegation from the Greeks puts a whole new perspective on the matter.
On the one hand we have a innocent group of eccentric people who spend their spare time hanging around airports taking photos, numbers and other details of aircraft, an odd hobby but a totally harmless pursuit.
Where as on the other hand, we have an agent of a hostile enemy who has set up a travel company and arranges tours of airports and airfields around Europe, takes his new bride along with him in the anticipation that he will go un-noticed by the authorities in order that he can conduct his espionage activities.
Both of these explanations can be applied to the case in mention, so it is easy to see why they are being held and why it is taking so long to clarify their situation and whether they are as they say victims of a Intelligence blunder or victims of an espionage plot to gather information on the Greek air force, I am afraid that only time will bring us the answers to these questions.
It should be noted by any body who is involved in the plane spotting hobby, you should make enquiries where you are going to be plane spotting as since the terrible events of September 11th 2001, we are all fearful of strange people in and around airports.
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