Arson attacks on Greek ruling party homes kill mother of ex-candidate in Thessaloniki

Pre-dawn attacks across Thessaloniki

Three residential buildings housing members of Greece's governing New Democracy party were targeted with improvised incendiary devices in the early hours of Wednesday. The attacks struck the homes of Zisis Ioakeimovic, chairman of the party's Thessaloniki administrative committee, former MP Savvas Anastasiadis, and Afroditi Nestora, a lawyer and former parliamentary candidate.

The devices, assembled from camping gas canisters and petrol bottles, were placed outside the apartment buildings. According to police reports, the first explosion occurred at 04:18 at Ioakeimovic's home, causing minor damage and no injuries. A second device detonated at 04:23 at Anastasiadis's residence, also without casualties. The third attack, at 04:35, targeted Nestora's apartment building and triggered a larger blaze that engulfed vehicles and the building entrance. Government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis told Skai radio that the three attacks unfolded within about 15 minutes and noted, "This coincidence is clearly not one."

Victim and casualties

Five people were wounded in the attack on Nestora's building. The candidate herself suffered burns and smoke inhalation and remains hospitalised. Her mother, Vagia Nestora, 72, was brought to Hippocrate Hospital with burns covering about 80% of her body and placed in intensive care. Despite treatment, she died later in the evening from multiple organ failure brought on by the burns. Afroditi Nestora's father, who has underlying health conditions, and two other residents were also admitted for breathing difficulties caused by smoke inhalation. The blast destroyed two cars, damaged several motorcycles and caused extensive damage to the building.

Political reaction

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who leads New Democracy, flew to Thessaloniki on Wednesday evening alongside the health and citizens' protection ministers. He described the bombings as a "cowardly, terrorist and murderous attack" and told reporters, "Violence has no place in an organised society."

“Violence has no place in an organised society.”

Mitsotakis vowed that police would find those responsible and bring them to justice, saying the perpetrators were "nothing more than criminals, they will be treated as such." Left-wing opposition parties also condemned the attacks.

Investigation

Greece's Counter-Terrorism Service has taken over the investigation and is examining CCTV footage to determine whether the three bombings were coordinated. No arrests have been announced, and no group has claimed responsibility. Police noted the use of improvised butane gas devices points to a planned act, not random arson.

A fatal turn in a long pattern

Greece has a decades-long record of small-scale arson and bomb attacks on politicians, banks, and companies, frequently attributed to far-left or anarchist groups. These attacks typically aim to cause material damage and rarely produce casualties. The death of Vagia Nestora marks an unusually lethal outcome, prompting Mitsotakis to declare that his government would not tolerate "any new form of terrorism" in the country.