Athens, Greece. Alexandros Giotopoulos, described by police sources as the mastermind of the defunct Greek guerrilla group November 17, has been released from jail, two police sources said on Thursday. The group carried out a 27-year campaign of assassinations.
Conviction and sentencing
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.
Release from Korydallos prison
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.
November 17 attacks and targets
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.
Origin of the group’s name
November 17 was named after the date in 1973 when Greece’s military dictatorship brutally suppressed a student uprising.
Shift in operations
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.
Conditions of release
Giotopoulos faces conditions including having to stay in the country, reside at the address provided to authorities and appear at a police station regularly.
What do you think the conditions of Giotopoulos’ release mean for monitoring high-profile former prisoners in Greece?
