US Embassy reacts to Xiros’s request for conditional release

One day after a convicted member of November 17 submitted a request for his conditional release from prison citing health problems, the US Embassy in Athens said on Twitter that “a decision to let Savvas Xiros out of prison before serving his sentence as handed down by the Greek justice system would be a disservice to the memory of the American mission members he killed and their families.”

Xiros, who was handed down five life sentences for his key role in the terrorist group November 17, was seriously injured in June 2002 after a bomb went off prematurely in his hands at the port of Piraeus.

Greek law allows prisoners with severe disabilities to be released from prison, under conditions.

In his petition, 55-year-old Xiros outlines his health problems, with his lawyer Anny Paparousou stating that he has a 98 percent disability.