The Eleftherios Venizelos ferry boat that docked at Kos last week has so received about 1,000 Syrian refugees. The ferry boat, which can accommodate up to 2,500 people, will remain at Kos for about two weeks, but it has not yet been determined what will happen after these two weeks.
It was decided that the Eleftherios Venizelos would be used exclusively for the accommodation of Syrian refugees, after the Police and Coast Guard came to an arrangement over security concerns. About 3,000 refugees are estimated to still be sleeping rough in parks and fields on the island.
Security measures on the Aegean island have increased after it was rumored that a group of Iraqis was planning an attack. Local authorities have requested that two squads of riot police officers, which were deployed last week and scheduled to return to Athens on Monday, remain on the island.
Furthermore, To Vima has been old that a counter-terrorism police unit (EKAM) has also been dispatched to Kos, as there are concerns that jihadist terrorists may have entered Greece.
The mayor of Kos Giorgos Kyritsis issued a press statement and asked for the riot police to remain on the island, claiming that national security is under threat due to the dramatic influx of migration. Similarly the local police have complained of the dramatic situation, arguing that clashes have broken out between various groups of migrants arriving on the island.
