Thessaloniki Political Attacks
Coordinated Gas Canister Attacks Target New Democracy Officials in Thessaloniki, Injuring Five
Key Points
The first two incidents targeted ND-linked residences with precise locations: in Pylaia, outside a building at 64B Christoforou Perraivou Street owned by Zisis Ioakeimovits (ND Thessaloniki steering committee president, who had previously lived there), and in Toumba, at 45 Tsiapanou Street, outside the home of former ND MP Savvas Anastasiadis (entrance damaged, facade scorched).
In the Harilaou district, the 4:35 a.m. attack triggered a fire that burned two cars and two motorcycles; one car belonged to ND candidate Afroditi Nestora, and Nestora’s 70-year-old mother suffered severe burns and was intubated in the Ippokrateio Hospital, while Nestora herself sustained minor burns and her father and two other residents were hospitalized for smoke inhalation.
Authorities say the three devices were improvised gas-canister bombs and that the attacks appeared coordinated, with investigators focusing on a possible organized operation; police described a likely motorcycle-based execution and the probe is led by the Anti-Terrorism Service, noting the events occurred within a tight window between 4:18 and 4:35 a.m.
The government condemned the attacks as threats against political figures and pledged a police manhunt; government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis emphasized that the officials were targeted for their political affiliation, framing it as an attack on democratic participation.
Three coordinated firebomb attacks struck the homes of New Democracy party officials in Thessaloniki in the early hours of July 1, 2026, killing one person and injuring four others. The attacks, carried out within a 17-minute window between 4:18 and 4:35 a.m., used improvised gas-canister bombs placed at residential entrances while families slept inside, according to GreekReporter.com.
The deadliest strike hit the Harilaou district home of ND parliamentary candidate Afroditi Nestora. Her 70-year-old mother suffered severe burns across her body and was intubated at Ippokrateio Hospital, where she later died. Four others were hospitalized for burns and smoke inhalation. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called it a "cowardly, murderous attack," according to The Washington Post.
Three Strikes in 17 Minutes Across the City
The first bomb detonated at 4:18 a.m. at 64B Christoforou Perraivou Street in the Pylaia district. The building is owned by Zisis Ioakeimovits, president of the ND Thessaloniki Administrative Committee. No one was injured, though residents were startled by the blast, GreekReporter.com reported. Ioakeimovits later described hearing a massive explosion and finding a burning device on the road outside.
Five minutes later, a second device exploded at 45 Tsiapanou Street in Toumba, the home of former ND MP Savvas Anastasiadis. The blast shattered the glass entryway and scorched the building's facade, according to tovima.com. Anastasiadis was out of the city at the time. He later said surveillance footage showed a suspect emerging from nearby woods to plant the device. The third and most destructive bomb followed at 4:35 a.m. in Harilaou, destroying two cars and two motorcycles in a ground-floor parking area.
A Mother Dies, Four Others Hospitalized After Harilaou Blast
Afroditi Nestora, an ND candidate and lawyer, sustained minor burns to her hands and legs. ProtoThema English reported she was trying to put out the fire on her car when she was burned. Her father was hospitalized for smoke inhalation. Her mother was rushed to Ippokrateio Hospital with severe burns across her body, intubated and in critical condition. She died later that Wednesday.
Mitsotakis traveled to Thessaloniki on Wednesday afternoon to visit the injured and meet with local officials, according to The Washington Post. After the mother's death, he said it "confirms the murderous and inhuman nature of the blind violence." Government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis stressed that families were present in all three homes, calling the attacks "murderous" rather than simple acts of intimidation.
Anti-Terrorism Service Takes Over as Probe Eyes Motorcycle Gang
Authorities officially classified the incidents as terrorism, not arson, due to the coordinated nature and the clear intent to cause death, Xinhua reported. Greece's Anti-Terrorism Service (DAEEB) is leading the investigation. Analysts told GreekReporter.com that the 17-minute execution window points to serious advance planning and reconnaissance. Investigators believe a single mobile team used motorcycles to move quickly between the three sites.
ND Political Committee Secretary Konstantinos Kyranakis said the perpetrators "aimed to kill" and that "the world of New Democracy will not be terrorized," according to Sabras Radio. A nationwide review of security for ND candidates and officials is now underway. Local politicians, unlike senior ministers, typically have no police protection and live in standard apartment buildings — a vulnerability this attack exposed sharply, Keep Talking Greece noted.
Greece's Long History of Political Firebombings Reaches New Low
Gas-canister attacks are not new in Greece. They are most often linked to far-left or anarchist groups like the Conspiracy of Cells of Fire. But those attacks historically targeted banks or empty political offices at night — not occupied homes, The Washington Post noted. This attack marks a sharp escalation. In July 2025, a bomb hit the Thessaloniki home of a prison guards' association president, injuring two people, according to Associated Press.
International outlets placed the event in the broader pattern of Greece's "low-intensity" political violence, noting that fatalities from such attacks are rare, according to Reuters. But Greek government officials pushed back hard on that framing. They blamed what Kyranakis called a "culture of tolerance" toward political violence — and said this week's deaths demand a severe response. A crackdown on anarchist spaces in Thessaloniki and Athens is expected to follow.
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