The husband of Vagia Nestora, the 72-year-old woman killed in the July 1 firebombing in Thessaloniki, has thanked police for the swift arrests of three suspects and appealed to Greeks to turn away from political violence.
Panagiotis Nestoras told Greek state broadcaster ERT that the arrests brought his family a measure of justice, though not relief. “In five years I have lost a daughter and a wife,” he said, referring to his other daughter, who died of cancer. “Let this be the last innocent death from acts of hatred like these.”
His wife died from injuries sustained after an incendiary device was placed at the entrance of the apartment building where their daughter, Afroditi Nestora, a New Democracy parliamentary candidate in the previous election, was living. Two similar attacks the same morning hit the homes of other party figures in Thessaloniki, though police now believe those were carried out by a separate group.
Afroditi, who was also injured in the blast, is recovering and expected to leave hospital soon. Her father echoed her earlier public appeal for restraint, saying the family does not want the killing to trigger further violence. “There are other ways to make your case,” he said. “Dialogue works. Firebombs do not.”
Asked what he would say to those accused of setting the device, Nestoras struggled to answer. “Don’t put me in that position. I still haven’t come to terms with losing my wife,” he said. “I would just look at them and ask one big question: why?” He said he hoped the accused would eventually grasp what they had done.
Hunt for the wider network
Investigators in charge of the case are now turning their attention to the mobile phones seized from the three suspects, which police believe could point to others involved in the wave of attacks. Hellenic Police spokesperson Konstantina Dimoglidou told the television channel MEGA that the suspects reacted strongly when officers seized heir phones and other digital devices. No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks, and police are hoping the devices will help fill that gap. Dimoglidou commented that the three suspects had been caught off guard by how quickly they were identified and detained. She also noted that dozens of similar case files have been opened over the past two years.
The suspects, a 29-year-old man, a 24-year-old man and a 26-year-old woman, appeared before a prosecutor on Saturday and are due to give their statements on Tuesday. They face charges including intentional homicide, forming a terrorist organization and possession of explosives, though not all three are charged with every count.
Police believe the 29-year-old man and the 26-year-old woman are the pair who planted the device at the Nestora building. Their movements before and after the attack helped identify them as the two had reportedly scouted the area multiple times. The flat they used as a hideout was only a short distance from the site of the blast. Security cameras caught the pair on tape, and police cross-checked the images against known figures in Greece’s anarchist and far-left circles.
The 24-year-old owns the apartment where the pair took shelter after the attack. He is expected to tell prosecutors that he was unaware of their intentions and played no part in the arson attack.
