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| credit defencenet |
Following a terrorist attack at the central offices of the New Democracy party on Monday morning, officials are now pointing to the leader of the "Revolutionary Struggle" terrorist organization Nikos Maziotis as being the mastermind behind the attack and they are basing this on three basic elements.
Firstly, the AK-47 assault rifle that was used in the shooting was part of the arsenal used by the Revolutionary Struggle organization and had already been used in a previous shooting. Secondly because they suspect that Maziotis was planning to execute a hit, and then disappear along with the companions of E.Roupa who were recently released. And third, hits such as the above are very common by such terrorist organizations because they are symbolic and depict what they are actually attempting to destroy.
The attack on the US Embassy on January 12, 2007 with the use of RPG-7 weaponry was one such hit.
Aside from that, the two defendants suspected of being behind this crime have already violated the restrictive conditions imposed on them after their release. They have never presented themselves at their local police station in Exarchia, and they were also absent from the last two court sessions where the case of the "Revolutionary Struggle" was being determined.
The obvious question would be why were these men released? Given the present laws, the Greek justice system cannot detain suspects for more than 18 months, or while they are pending trial. Nonetheless these are suspected terrorists and certainly needed to be detained for obvious reasons, so their release raises many questions. A report later on during the day from the military news site defencenet kind of put things into perspective as to the "why".
It is suspected that they were being monitored since the article said that the Greek counter terrorism unit had already examined information suggesting that they were setting up a new team and were ready to make another such impressive hit. (Basically officials analysed various comments and messages sent via the social networks through a third party.)
Turning to the attack itself, the report said that data from the security cameras apparently show two masked men, both armed with AK-47 Kalashnikov rifles, exiting an automobile and after walking a distance of 50 meters -and stationing themselves at a distance of 70 meters from the central offices-, they stopped, raised their firearms and then apparently began shooting at a neon sign which decorates the exterior building where the offices of ND are located. The article notes that these were controlled shots but that they were not recorded by the security cameras.
Forensics is apparently surveying all the evidence it gathered from the scene on Monday and planning to make further announcements later on Monday in the evening.
Based on the images recorded -from the security cameras outside of ND's offices, as well as those from the traffic police- the perpetrators arrived at the scene with an automobile -probably the burnt Toyota Corolla which was found later on in the morning in the area of Paleo Faliro- and that there was a third party driving the car.
Emphasis is also being placed on key eyewitness accounts, that claim that the perpetrators were using an automobile and not a motorbike as first reported.
Apart from the Revolutionary Struggle organization an attack with this particular AK-47 rifle was used in 2009 against the police department of Agia Paraskevi by the "Weapons - Group Proletarian People's Self-Defense" organization (or OPLA) but it was also used at the fatal shooting of journalist Sokratis Giolias by the Sechta Revolutionary organization as well.
Article in Greek - defencenet
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