NEWS

Police paper on terror groups leaked

The government confirmed the authenticity of a secret document on Greece’s November 17 terrorist organization leaked to the press yesterday, but said it was an old report and announced an investigation into the leak. Government spokesman Christos Protoppappas said the report, printed in the Ta Nea daily, had been compiled by the competent authorities. He did not elaborate. Protopappas said the report, which spoke of links between November 17, the Revolutionary Popular Struggle (ELA), Anti-State Struggle and Carlos the Jackal’s international group, had been compiled some time ago. He was unable to say whether, and to what extent, it was classified. The report, which contained little more than has already been published on leftist terrorist groups in Greece, said November 17 has probably conducted bank robberies to fund its operations and proposed that investigators re-examine old evidence for new leads. It said there seemed to be no threat of attacks in Greece by foreign or right-wing groups. Sources said yesterday that the report probably dated from just after the Ocalan fiasco, in February 1999, but before the rocket attack on the German ambassador’s Athens residence and the assassination of Brigadier Stephen Saunders, the British military attache, in June 2000. Both Protopappas and Public Order Minister Michalis Chrysochoidis said the leak would be investigated. The spokesman denied that the publication heralded a wave of arrests of terror suspects, a rumor which has been in the air for over a year.

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