09 June 2000

GREECE:

November 17 Claims Responsibility Of Murder

  As was speculated here yesterday, The Greek leftist terror group "November 17" claimed on Friday the murder of the British military attaché to Greece on Thursday. In a statement sent to the Athens newspaper Elefterotipia, the group said it killed Brig. General Stephen Saunders because of the role he and his country played in last year's NATO campaign against Yugoslavia.

British officials said on Thursday that they were sending a team of counter-terrorism experts to Greece. The British Foreign Office said a team of police officers had been invited to Athens by Greek authorities to give advice on the investigation into the Saunders murder. An FCO security expert will also review embassy security. Scotland Yard refused to comment on the operation, saying only that the unspecified number of anti-terrorist squad officers would be "liaising" with authorities in Athens.

On Friday, the British Foreign Office said that it was reviewing security at all its embassies worldwide. The FCO would not discuss measures that might be taken following the Thursday's murder in Greece. 

08 June 2000

GREECE:

Lead Focus

British Defense Attaché Murdered In Apparent Terrorist Attack

In what police believe could be the work of Europe's most elusive urban terrorist group known as "November 17," Britain's defense attaché to Greece was killed on Thursday in a roadway ambush. Motorcycle-riding gunmen shot Brig. Stephen Saunders, age 53, in the head and chest as he drove to work on a main avenue.

Any terrorist link could put Greece  under even more severe international pressure for a massive crackdown. U.S. officials have repeatedly accused Greece of ineffective counter-terrorism against incidents ranging from arson strikes to killings blamed on "November 17" dating back to 1975. Foreign Minister George Papandreou said it was not clear whether the attack had any link to recent U.S. pressure, which included proposed sanctions.

Public Order Ministry General Secretary Dimitris Efstathiadis said the attack bore the hallmarks of "November 17" and police are "investigating in this direction." November 17 has claimed responsibility for 21 slayings since 1975. The group's victims include four Americans, including a CIA station chief.

The attackers used a .45 caliber weapon -- a trademark of November 17, which takes its name from the 1973 student-led uprising against the military junta that ruled Greece from 1967-74. The last slaying attributed to the group in the ERRI database that was claimed by November 17 was in May 1997 when Greek shipowner Constantinos Peratikos was gunned down leaving an office.

The site and method of the Thursday attack was almost identical to other November 17 killings: a 1983 ambush that killed U.S. Navy Captain George Tsantes and his driver and the 1988 slaying of Greek industrialist Alexandros Athanassiadis. The group has never targeted a British national before, but has claimed responsibility for bomb attacks against British banks and other sites. Last year, the group issued a communiqué challenging authorities to "come and get us..."

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