Blazing car rolls into city center
A car went up in flames in central Athens early yesterday morning, prompting police to search for the vehicle’s owner after a man was allegedly seen running from the car, inside of which officers found tens of containers with flammable liquid. The car stopped in front of the Athens Academy on Panepistimiou Street, one of the city’s busiest roads, at 3 a.m. and then burst into flames. Firefighters who put out the blaze, aided by the rain, said they found inside some 20 plastic containers which had been filled with a flammable liquid. They also found a large natural gas cylinder in the car, but later discovered that it was empty. A guard at the Academy told police that he saw a man running from the vehicle as it caught fire. Officers believe the man was 52-year-old Haralambos Seitanidis, the vehicle’s owner. Seitanidis is a retired sailor who suffers from serious mental problems, officers said. He lives in Achaia and is separated from his wife and children, who live in Attica. His family said they had no contact with Seitanidis yesterday.
