Priest arrested for acid attack against bishops to face prosecutor

Α 37-year-old priest who was arrested over an attack against seven senior Greek bishops and three others with a caustic liquid will be led before a prosecutor on Thursday.

The injured bishops were in session to discuss deposing the priest over his arrest for the possession of 1.8 grams of cocaine in the northern town of Veria in 2018 when the attack happened. 

The suspect, who participated in the hearing, threw caustic liquid to several senior clerics from two containers he carried in his rucksack. 

Apart from the bishops, the suspect also injured a police officer who helped restrain the suspect, as well as a lawyer and a presiding clergyman. They were transferred to state hospitals for treatment of burn injuries.

The suspect allegedly told officers that he attacked the clergymen because they deposed him and that he bought the liquid online.

The president of the Agia Varvara community in Veria where the 37-year-old had served as a priest, told Skai channel that the suspect had allegedly threatened the clergyman who replaced him, warning him that he knew people who could kill him as he blamed him for having to leave the village.

Asked why the priest was still a member of the clergy despite these behaviors, Spyros Kotsiadis said that the Diocese of Veria had acted immediately but that the process is time consuming.