**LEAD STORY**
It may not be as well known as Islamic Jihad in the Middle East or the Irish Republican Army, but the Greek terrorist organization known as November 17 has been around committing terrorist acts in Greece since 1975. November 17 is known as the most feared group in Greece and is also one of the most deadliest in all of Europe.
The signal birth of this group came on December 23, 1975 when Richard Welch, the United States Central Intelligence Agency station chief in Athens was shot and killed by three men as he returned from a party. Welch was killed by a .45-caliber pistol that became the trademark of the terrorist group.
The number of murdered victims that can be attributed to November 17 would be considered small. Only 20 since 1975. Their victims include three other American officials and one person who worked for Americans. Two Diplomats from Turkey and 13 Greeks. Through the years the terrorist group has also been responsible for about 35 attacks, mostly bombings and missile attacks, on Greek tax offices and multi-national corporations.
But the one thing that distinguishes the November 17 terrorist organization from any other terrorist organization is -- in over twenty years -- not one single member of this group has ever been arrested. The identities of any November 17 members remains unknown to Greek, American and European police and intelligence agencies. No other terrorist group can make that same claim.
One Greek politician, who was one of the few to ever survive a November 17 attack, said, "From then until now, Greece is the only country where it has been impossible to not only smoke out terrorism, but even to make a single substantial strike against it."
Why has November 17 been able to remain untouched? German authorities were able to destroy the Red Army Faction. France wiped out a terrorist group that was known as Action Direct. In 1987, Italy was able to bring an end to the Red Brigades. In other nations in Europe -- Irish separatists, Basque Separatists in Spain, and Corsican separatists in France have had members arrested. In Greece, it's an altogether different story. The group has several known M.O's. Authorities can tell that the people who make bombs for the organization were apparently trained in the Middle East during the early 1970's.
Greek authorities will not directly comment on terrorism issues. But counter-terrorism experts from other countries believe that the group has between 10 to 25 members. It believed to be very small and and thus able to maintain its secrecy and security. The origin of the group is still somewhat vague, but it is believed that its founders were part of resistance group that was formed during the 1967-75 military dictatorship in Greece. It is also believed that Greek Socialist Premier Andreas Papendreou may had played some hand in its beginnings.
After democracy returned to Greece in 1975, it is believed that many of the original members went their own way. Papendreou, who has been seriously ill for a long time, is believed to know the identities of some of the members of the group, but it is expected that he will take those names to his grave. It is said that the name of the group comes from the day in 1973 when the Greek military sent tanks and soldiers to squash a student uprising at Athens Polytechnic University.
The ideology of Novenber 17 leans toward Marxist-Leninism. They are known to be anti-European Union, anti-NATO and anti-American. The United States was picked as a target because it supported the former Greek military dictatorship.They are extremely nationalistic and have recently called for an armed uprising against the middle and upper classes in Greece. Essentially, to cause fear in the population -- a common terrorist tactic.
One counter-terrorism expert said that November 17 is unique in that it appears not to lead any political movement. They don't call for a separate state for any one particular ethnic group as do many other terrorist organizations in places like Spain, France or India.
But since the Cold War ended a few years ago, it caused an ideological problem for November 17. The group is now shifting targets. The group's last known attack was made in May of 1995 when it fired two anti-tank rockets at a Greek television network building. The television network was called a capitalist tool. There were no injuries in the attack.
It was announced by Greek authorities in mid-December that they plan to spend about $30 million to overhaul their anti-terrorism services. But one counter-terrorism expert said that he didn't think that money alone will be able to stop November 17. He said, "We just hope they make a mistake one day."