November 17 Mastermind Freed After 27 Years of Greek Guerilla Assassinations
Release of Alexandros Giotopoulos and the Legacy of November 17
Background of November 17 Group
ATHENS, May 21 (Reuters) - The mastermind of defunct Greek guerilla group November 17, which carried out a 27-year campaign of assassinations, has been released from jail, two police sources said on Thursday.
Alexandros Giotopoulos, 82, was arrested in 2002, when the Marxist group was dismantled by police. Giotopoulos and other members were convicted by a Greek court in 2003. He denied wrongdoing but an appeals' court in 2007 sentenced him to 17 life terms and 25 years imprisonment.
Details of Giotopoulos' Release
He was released on Thursday from the Korydallos high-security prison in Athens after a judicial panel approved a request he filed in 2025, the sources said. Media reports said his request cited health issues.
Assassinations and Attacks by November 17
The group was behind 23 killings that started in 1975 with the fatal shooting of Richard Welch, a CIA station chief in Athens. They went on to kill a U.S. Navy captain, a Turkish diplomat and other figures. The group's last known hit was British defense attaché Stephen Saunders in 2000.
Origins and Evolution of the Group
November 17 was named after the date in 1973 when Greece's military dictatorship brutally suppressed a student uprising.
While the group's attacks initially targeted senior Greek and foreign officials, in the 1980s it expanded its operations to include bombings and bank robberies.
Post-Release Conditions
Giotopoulos faces conditions including having to stay in the country, reside at the address provided to authorities and appear at a police station regularly.
(Reporting by Yannis Souliotis; Writing by Renee Maltezou; Editing by Edward McAllister and Cynthia Osterman)
