Three suspects remanded in custody over Athens Plaka blast that killed six

Three men remanded in custody

Three men were remanded in custody on 2 November after questioning by an investigating judge in Athens, in connection with an explosion in a building in the Plaka district that killed six people. The three were brought to the Evelpidon courthouse under escort from the arson crimes directorate of the police. Each acknowledged being at the building but rejected any role in the blast or any contribution to it. The oldest of them, described as 56 in some reports and 55 in others, said he was devastated and that the explosion was not his fault. Two of the other men were heard repeating the word sorry as they arrived at court and when asked whether they wanted to say anything.

Charges and the men's record

According to NewsIT, the investigating judge and prosecutor treated the case as manslaughter with possible intent, arson and an explosion that caused the deaths of others, along with grievous bodily harm. The same outlet describes the three as copper thieves and says they denied that the theft of copper led to the blast. Security cameras reportedly recorded them entering the building at Lysikratous 15 and leaving with a piece of copper pipe in hand. NewsIT also reports that the three had been arrested dozens of times for drug offences, theft and assault, had served part of earlier sentences, and had never been rehabilitated. Their lawyers were appointed from the list of the Athens Bar Association, according to the same report.

Families call for a wider inquiry

The families of the victims issued a joint statement describing the remand as an important development, but saying the search for responsibility does not end there. They want investigators to look beyond the three men at the gas installations and infrastructure, the safety measures, the inspections, the maintenance and the oversight of compliance with the relevant rules. Their statement links the deaths to a gas leak and asks whether there were omissions, failures or breaches of safety rules that allowed it to happen. The families mourn the dead, including an unborn child, and describe a loss that will stay with them for the rest of their lives. No source yet reports that the wider inquiry the families requested has been ordered.

What remains open

The sources do not give the time of the explosion or any finding by investigators on its cause. The gas leak is cited by the families, and the sources do not show that investigators have confirmed it. Remand is pretrial detention, so none of the three has been tried or convicted. The men's denials stand on the record of the proceedings, while the charges reported by NewsIT remain at the investigation stage. Further hearings and any expansion of the probe will determine who, if anyone, is held responsible beyond the three men.