State Department: N17 hitman’s furlough is incentive for violent anarchists
The US State Department has condemned the new prison leave granted by Greek authorities to convicted November 17 hitman Dimitris Koufodinas, describing it as an injustice for his victims and an incentive for violent anarchists.
“Once gain, we would like to strongly condemn the release of a convicted terrorist, named Dimitris Koufodinas, on a five-day reprieve from his imprisonment in Greece,” State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert told journalists at regular press briefing on Tuesday.
“It is his fourth and longest furlough in the past year.”
Nauert stated that Koufodinas was a terrorist, who has been convicted of multiple murders, including those of US Embassy Defense Attache William Nordeen in 1988 and US Air Force Sergeant Ronald Stewart in 1991.
“These furloughs are a shameful injustice to his many victims’ families and serve as a further incentive for his anarchist followers to commit further violent and destructive acts in his name. Our embassy in Athens has conveyed our serious concerns about this decision to the Greek government,” she added.
Pointing out that Koufdinas had received 11 days’ furlough already this year, she said: “We do not believe that a convicted terrorist, who has murdered not just US personnel, but from other governments as well, including innocent civilians in Greece … should be given a vacation from prison.”
.@statedeptspox: U.S. strongly condemns the release of convicted terrorist Dimitris Koufodinas who was set loose for a fourth time on a 5-day furlough in #Greece. pic.twitter.com/4tYTzqZ2sH
— Department of State (@StateDept) August 28, 2018
In 2003, Koufodinas received 11 life sentences and was sentenced to 25 years’ imprisonment for his involvement in the terror group.
This is Koufodinas’s first furlough from Volos agricultural jail, the open penitentiary to where he was transferred from Korydallos high-security prison in Athens earlier this month.
