The Best of GRReporter
flag_bg flag_gr flag_gb

The attackers were planning to shoot a rocket at the headquarters of New Democracy

15 January 2013 / 15:01:39  GRReporter
2717 reads

The attackers who had shot at the headquarters of New Democracy used heavy weapons, possibly a rocket launcher, as stated by an eyewitness of the attack who testified before members of the anti-terrorism forces.

The witness said that in addition to the Kalashnikov machine guns, the two attackers had brought such a weapon but they were not able to use it. According to him, they acted very quickly. They shot with the Kalashnikov guns and then headed to the local roadway where they had better visual contact with the target but failed to use the rocket launcher.

If the investigation proves these allegations, the return of "heavy terrorism" in Greece will be a fact.

Meanwhile, the ballistic testing of the machine gun and the pistol used in the attack shows that the weapons were not used in previous attacks. Based on this discovery, police authorities are adamant that yesterday's attackers were not involved in the bloody attack on a police station in October 2009, during which Kalashnikov guns were also used. However, they do not exclude the possibility of part of the "Conspiracy of Fire Nuclei" group starting to act again and the reappearance of Nikos Maziotis or the initiation of attacks by the "Sect of Revolutionaries," which also had Kalashnikov machines guns in its armoury.

The scenarios for the development of groups like "Fighting Minority", "Deviant Behaviours" or "Zero Tolerance", which organised mainly arsons in the past, are also under consideration. The anti-terrorist service expects a manifesto from the organisation that will take responsibility for the attack.

In parallel, the court has freed the student, aged 29, who was captured two days ago and accused of involvement in the "Conspiracy of Fire Nuclei" terrorist group and possession of weapons.

The young man has been subjected to restrictive measures such as a ban on leaving the country, compulsory reporting to a police station at specific dates and a ban on getting in touch with other people accused of involvement in the same group.

The student denied his involvement in the "Conspiracy of Fire Nuclei" whereas his defender questioned the results of the laboratory tests of the genetic material, which had been found on the weapons the police had discovered near the University of Athens. She stated that the particular genetic material could have belonged to eight other people and asked for verification by an expert.

A 25-year-old woman, whose genetic material was also discovered on the armoury, has been released on the basis of a similar judgment. The student is only banned from leaving the country.

Earlier, the police launched a surprise raid on a third anarchist commune in central Athens, namely the so-called "Lela Kariani occupation" after the name of the street on which it is located. The anarchists had taken over the building from April 1988 until today and it was the oldest occupied building in Athens. This is the third "clearing" of an anarchist commune after the operations in Villa Amalia and Villa Maria Callas.

The government expresses its concerns that the increasing attacks of the last days may indicate a reorganisation of the so-called guerrilla groups in the city. The possible revival of terrorism in another form and with methods of action that are more modern scares the ruling coalition, which seeks to establish a peaceful political environment.

The attack on the headquarters of New Democracy yesterday was the first terrorist attack after the breaking up of the "Revolutionary Struggle" and "Conspiracy of Fire Nuclei" groups. Later today, the leaders of the ruling coalition - Antonis Samaras, Evangelos Venizelos, Fotis Kouvelis - will meet and the major topic of their discussion will be the surge of violence.

Tags: Crime newsPoliticsTerrorist groupsNew Democracy
SUPPORT US!
GRReporter’s content is brought to you for free 7 days a week by a team of highly professional journalists, translators, photographers, operators, software developers, designers. If you like and follow our work, consider whether you could support us financially with an amount at your choice.
Subscription
You can support us only once as well.
blog comments powered by Disqus