NEWS

Police precinct chief removed over Rouvikonas embassy attack

Police precinct chief removed over Rouvikonas embassy attack

An attack on the Iranian Embassy in Athens by members of the anarchist group Rouvikonas in the early hours of Monday led on Tuesday to the removal of the director of the Psychico police precinct.

The director was to be transferred to another division as the embassy was one of the buildings that supposedly fell under his supervision.

Meanwhile the police guard who had been on duty at the time of the attack by 10 members of Rouvikonas, who smashed the guard box, and threw paint at the embassy façade, is to return to patrol duty in Athens.

An internal police investigation has been launched to determine why an emergency warning system had been out of order. It appears that the officer's wireless radio was old technology and not working.

According to sources, the guard had not received the special training generally given to officers posted outside diplomatic missions. 

It remains unclear why he did not use his weapon to fire warning shots into the air or use a stun grenade.

The Greek Police (ELAS) had the Iranian Embassy in Athens at the top of the list of targets that it believed Rouvikonas might take aim at, yet it failed to avert Monday morning's attack, Kathimerini revealed.
 

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