In Brief
N17 APPEAL
Court due to issue verdict on terrorist group tomorrow The five judges hearing the appeal of the convicted members of the November 17 terrorist group, which began almost 18 months ago in a specially constructed court in Korydallos Prison, are due to issue their verdict tomorrow. Although no significant new evidence was presented during the hearing, it attracted media attention due to an apparent falling out between the group’s mastermind, Alexandros Yotopoulos, and N17’s main hit man, Dimitris Koufodinas. The group was responsible for killing 23 people between 1973 and 2002. EMBEZZLING MONK Former holy man allegedly stole 238,000 euros from monastery A monk who served as the financial manager of a monastery in Lagadas, near Thessaloniki, is to be tried for embezzlement, judicial sources said on Monday. The unnamed suspect allegedly stole a total of 238,000 euros from the monastery’s bank accounts. This included gold coins worth some 88,000 euros that had been donated by worshippers. The former monk served at the monastery from 1992 to 2004. He ceased being a monk at the end of 2004. COUPLE DROWNS Car plunges into sea near Piraeus Two people drowned yesterday morning when their car fell into the sea from the harbor at Drapetsona, near Piraeus, police said. The vehicle plunged to a depth of 30 meters and a coast guard frogman was called in to recover the bodies of the two men, aged 52 and 41. It was not immediately clear what caused the accident. Cell death An investigation has been launched after a 28-year-old detainee apparently committed suicide in a holding cell at the Menemeni police station in Thessaloniki, officers said on Monday. The unnamed man had been arrested on Saturday while driving a stolen car. Police said he had also been in possession of a weapon. The suspect allegedly hanged himself on Sunday using a bedsheet that he tied around a ventilation pipe. Police said the man had in the past been linked to drug and theft offenses. Doctor found The body of a 40-year-old man who had been reported missing on April 16 was found in an irrigation channel in the village of Sikia, close to Thessaloniki, yesterday. Police said the body did not appear to have injuries that would indicate any crime was involved. Authorities are completing an autopsy on the body but are attributing the death to an accident. The man, who was a doctor at a Thessaloniki hospital, is believed to have suffered memory blackouts shortly before his death. Bank robbery Two armed men held up a branch of EFG Eurobank in Thessaloniki on Monday and made off with almost 25,000 euros in cash, police said. Authorities launched a manhunt for the two assailants, who are believed to have made their getaway on a motorbike. Woman missing Rescue teams continued yesterday to search for a 60-year-old woman in a mountainous area near Hania, Crete, after she was reported missing on Monday. The woman had gone picking greens in the area of Omalos along with a group of 34 people. However, she failed to return to the bus at the end of the day, prompting members of the group to notify police. A military helicopter, two airplanes and over 45 people are taking part in the search. Pangrati blast A homemade explosive device went off outside a branch of Millennium Bank in Pangrati, eastern Athens, early on Monday, police said yesterday. The explosion occurred at 3.40 a.m. and damaged the entrance to the bank but did not cause any injuries. Porn DVDs Almost 1,000 pornographic DVDs were seized on the island of Rhodes on Monday as local authorities acted on instructions from the Supreme Court to confiscate any adult films that are sold with newspapers. Police on the Dodecanese island seized a total of 952 DVDs and said they would continue to confiscate such material from kiosks.
