17N leader granted first prison leave; Athens mayor reacts
Alexandros Giotopoulos, the 78-year-old convicted leader of the now-defunct terrorist group November 17, returned to Korydallos Prison on Thursday after a three-day leave, his first in the 20 years, Greek media reported on Friday.
Athens Mayor Kostas Bakoyannis, whose father, Pavlos Bakoyannis, was gunned down by N17 in 1989, expressed shock.
“Was the leader of November 17 given a three-day leave? In secret? I mean, at least quietly? And on the anniversary of Thanos Axarlian’s murder? Is it true? Open and clear explanations are required,” he tweeted.
Axarlian was a 20-year-old student killed during a botched assassination attempt by November 17 on July 14, 1992, against then economy minister Yiannis Paleokrassas.
Giotopoulos is serving 17 life sentences plus 25 years. N17 killed 23 Greeks as well as British, American and Turkish diplomats between 1975 and 2000.
