Bank robbery suspect claims to be a prisoner of war
One of the young men arrested following two armed bank robberies in northern Greece on Friday, also suspected of links to an urban guerrilla group, has said he will not file abuse charges against police, claiming that he is a “prisoner of war”.
In a statement issued through his lawyer, Nikos Romanos said he had political motives for taking part in the robberies.
“I consider myself a prisoner of war, not a victim,” said the 20-year-old. “I will not sue the policemen who hit me. I want the abuse I suffered to prick citizens’ consciences. I accept my role in the robbery and nothing else.”
It emerged that Romanos was friends with Alexis Grigoropoulos, shot dead by a policeman in December 2008. The 15-year-old’s murder triggered days of riots in Athens and other cities.
Romanos had been with Grigoropoulos when he was shot and later refused to attend the trial of the two policemen involved in the incident.
In a written statement at the time, Romanos explained that he had gone into hiding, denied being part of extremist organizations and said it was a “political choice” not to show interest in the outcome of the trial.
Romanos is part of the well-known Nasioutsik family. His grandfather, Athanasios Nasioutsik, was convicted of the murder in 1984 of fellow author Athanasios Diamantopoulos in an apartment in Kolonaki, central Athens.
Romanos’s mother, Pavlina Nasioutsik, is also an author
