Greek police have launched a nationwide manhunt for convicted far left-terrorist, Christodoulos Xiros, after he failed to report to the authorities during his New Year prison leave. Authorities are now considering a review of the prison furlough system.
Xiros, who used to be a member of Greece’s most lethal extremist
group ‘November 17’, has been in prison in the country’s capital,
Athens, since 2003.
He was handed six life sentences for participating in multiple
shootings and bombings of Greek, US and UK businessmen and
diplomats.
On Monday, the 56-year-old, who had been on an eight-day leave in
the north of the country, did not check in with the police, which
he is supposed to be doing on a daily basis, Reuters reported.
The search for the fugitive has so far been fruitless, with the
police only managing to find the car he used.
It was dropped in the northwestern town of Florina, located some
200 kilometers from the Halkidiki area where Xiros was last seen.
Lawyer Frangiskos Ragousis said that he has not spoken to his
client for a long period of time, and believes that he has
escaped.
“It is a political decision in line with his revolutionary
activity,” the attorney told Skai television channel.
According to AP, it’s the sixth time Xiros has been granted a
furlough, and he has never violated its terms before.
Under current Greek law, inmates, who are serving life sentences,
can be granted short-term leaves from prison after serving at
least eight years of their term.
However, the government is now talking about reviewing the whole
the prison furlough system for those convicted of terrorism and
other serious crimes.
“The benefit of prison leave ... can’t be turned into a means
to undermine the country's crime-fighting policies,” Greek
Justice Minister, Haralambos Athanassiou, said.
November 17, which mixed Marxist ideology with nationalism, was
responsible for the deaths of 23 people between 1975 and 2000.
It was dismantled after a string of arrests in 2002, which were
part of a security crackdown just before the Athens Olympics in
2004.
More than 10 members of the group were convicted, including the
three Xiros brothers – Christodoulos, Savas and Vassilis, who
were sons of an Orthodox priest.