ATHENS (News Agencies)-Sources reported two gunmen, at around 0800 (0500 GMT), opened fire on a senior British diplomat. Military attaché Brigadier Stephen Saunders was shot dead in his car in Athens, the Greek capitol. Saunders was rushed to a local hospital in a serious condition, but died later of his injuries.
He was 53.
Saunders was driving a white Rover belonging to the embassy along Kifissias avenue in a northern suburb of the city. It appears that the car was not bullet proofed. There has been no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.
Greece police are now virtually certain that a left-wing opposition group called “November 17” carried out the killing.
Including Brigadier Saunders, “November 17” has killed 23 people since it first appeared in 1975. None of its members have been caught.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair described the killing as an act of terrorism, calling the attack contemptible as well as senseless. “[Brigadier Saunders] was a consummate professional who had served his country with distinction both at home and abroad, and his murder is a reminder of the risks that British military personnel face in many places around the world.” British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook said he was "shocked" by the shooting.
"The method used, the weapon used, lead us to believe that the assailants belong to ‘November 17’, that is the direction we are looking in," said Dimitris Efsthathiadis, a senior official in the Ministry for Public Order.
Police said they found four spent cartridges at the scene from a .45-calibre pistol, the weapon used by the “November 17” group in about 20 assassinations attributed to the group since 1975.
The “November 17” group targets western officials and economic targets. Its first victim, in 1975, was the CIA station chief in Athens.
The U.S. State Department has recently criticized Greece authorities for failing to stop terrorist attacks. Greece Foreign Minister, George Papandreou, has condemned the attack and pledged that his government would combat terrorism relentlessly.
