PERA AFFRAY.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19111, 21 September 1927, Page 9

PERA AFFRAY.

SPECULATION IN CONSTAN- " TINOPLE. (BY CABLE—PEEBS ASSOCIATION— COPYRIGHT.) ("THE TIMES.") (Received September 20th, 7.30 p.m.) LONDON, September 19. The correspondent of "The Times" at Constantinople says that since the Pera affray the Press alleges that the Armenia gang's aim was to raid the bank of Yildiz Casino. On the other hand the idea prevails that the gang's activities were solely political and that it was under orders from the Tasmanioun secret _ society, with headquarters in .the United States. It is alleged that the leader of the society, Merganian Altounian, was instructed to terrorise Turkey, first by assassinating Ghazi Pasha. Altounian is believed to" have stirred up the tobacco workers by means of Communist pamphlets. [The Yildiz Casino, in Constantinople, was recently closed by the judicial authorities following a raid by the police. On the day after this there was a mysterious street seige in the suburb of Pera. The police surrounded. a house and demanded the surrender of four men suspected of being involved in a conspiracy, the nature of which was not disclosed. There was sharp fighting with revolvers, in which the conspirators were killed. A large quantity of arms was discovered in the house, indicating the existence of an important movement. ]