Thessaloniki: Fourth suspect and possible second group in firebombing attacks
Authorities are investigating the involvement of a fourth perpetrator and a second group in the spate of arson attacks on homes of New Democracy officials in Thessaloniki. Aphrodite Nestora may require plastic surgery for burns sustained in the attack.
Fourth suspect and possible second group in Thessaloniki firebombing attacks
Authorities are seeking the starting point and finishing point of the route taken by the perpetrators who carried out the firebombing attacks in Thessaloniki and murdered Vagia Nestora, according to Newsit.gr. The Counter-Terrorism Service, which has taken over the investigation into the three petrol-bomb attacks, hopes that during those phases the perpetrators had not concealed their identifying features or the distinctive markings of their motorcycles.
Initial assessments spoke of three individuals who used two motorcycles. Two of them placed the incendiary devices in the homes of the politicians, while the third acted as a lookout. The involvement of a fourth person is now being examined.
The possibility that a second group acted in parallel with the first remains open. The three attacks occurred within a 17-minute timeframe, whilst two of the targeted apartment buildings are only two minutes apart from each other. In the event that a single group was responsible for all the attacks, the perpetrators would have had to travel a distance of 15 minutes — between the second and third apartment building — whilst carrying an incendiary device at the risk of being detected, according to Kathimerini.
The Greek police already have video footage of the perpetrators' movements, whilst remnants of the incendiary devices are being thoroughly examined in forensic laboratories. Investigations are focusing on a nucleus of approximately 30 anarchists who have been active in recent years in squats in Thessaloniki.
It has not yet been clarified whether the at least three men were the physical perpetrators who participated in the attacks or moral perpetrators who pointed out the targets to their associates.
Condition of the injured — possible plastic surgery for Aphrodite Nestora
Deputy Health Minister Themistoklis spoke about the next medical steps in the treatment of the burn victims. He stated that Aphrodite Nestora may require plastic surgery due to the burns she sustained in the attack, during which her mother, Vagia, lost her life. Her burns will be further evaluated following her transfer to Papanikolaou Hospital in Thessaloniki, which has a specialised Burns Unit and Plastic Surgery Clinic.
Regarding the hospitalised patients, the deputy minister stated: "Four people continue to be treated at Hippocrateion Hospital in Thessaloniki. These are Aphrodite Nestora, her father, as well as two residents from the same apartment building. Three of the four injured are expected to be discharged today."
Themistoklis explained that the condition of Nestora's mother was from the outset extremely serious and critical, due to the extensive burns she had sustained.
Source: Newsit.gr