Following the failed Ilinden–Preobrazhenie Uprising and the unfavourable conditions it had produced for the Greeks and other Chistian populations, Nikolaos Dailakis traveled to boost morale and revitalize the Greek organizations of the region. With the Bulgarians having turned on the Greeks following the uprising, had begun to terrorize the Greek population and had committed brutal killings and torture of several relatives and friends of Dailakis and Kottas. The two Makedonomachoi took revenge a few days later by killing Komitadji, Dine Yannev, and arresting Lazar Poptraykov, sentencing him to death (he later escaped).