Dimitrakis claims to be a novice
Alleged bank robber Yiannis Dimitrakis told a court yesterday that the bloody raid on a bank in central Athens in which he took part last year was a «social robbery» and a strike against «the extortionate banking system.» Dimitrakis insisted that he shot only once, into the air, during the robbery. Three people were injured as the police and the so-called «Robbers in Black» exchanged shots in crowded streets in the city center. The 29-year-old said that the raid on the branch of National Bank on Solonos Street last January was the first in which he had taken part. He claimed he participated so he could raise money for the anarchist movement and so he would not have to work again. The prosecution said Dimitrakis had been trained to rob banks and called for guilty verdicts for his alleged involvement in three heists as well as three counts of attempted murder. There is insufficient evidence to convict Dimitrakis of the other four bank robberies for which he is being tried, the prosecution added.
