Five people were injured—including one woman who is on a ventilator—and extensive damage was caused by the three coordinated arson attacks using gas canisters that took place in the early hours of in Thessaloniki, targeting New Democracy officials.

The targets were the homes of the chairman of the New Democracy Thessaloniki Executive Committee, Zisis Ioakeimovich, former Member of Parliament Savvas Anastasiadis, and politician Aphrodite Nestora. According to reports, the perpetrators were riding motorcycles in all the attacks.

The most serious of the three attacks occurred at 4:35 a.m. on Charilaou Street, where a fire—likely caused by a gas canister—spread to two cars and two motorcycles.

One of the vehicles belongs to Aphrodite Nestora. Five people were injured in the incident. Her 70-year-old mother suffered severe burns over her entire body and is currently on a ventilator in the Intensive Care Unit at Hippocrates Hospital.

Aphrodite Nestora herself suffered minor burns to her limbs, while her father and two other residents of the apartment building were taken to the hospital with respiratory problems. The fire also caused extensive damage to the two cars and minor damage to the two motorcycles.

See photos

Earlier, at 4:23 a.m. to be exact, an attack took place in Toumba. Unknown individuals set fire to a gas canister that had been placed at the entrance of the apartment building, on the third floor of which the former Member of Parliament for Thessaloniki B, Savvas Anastasiadis, resides. The explosion caused a crack in the entrance window and some discoloration, with no injuries reported.

The first attack was recorded at 4:18 a.m. in Pylaia. Unknown individuals placed and detonated a gas canister, causing no property damage. The owner of the apartments is the chairman of the New Democracy Executive Committee of Thessaloniki, Zisis Ioakeimovich, who had previously lived in the property in question.

The Anti-Terrorism Service has taken over the cases, which is investigating whether the three incidents, which occurred within less than 20 minutes, are coordinated arson attacks resulting from a common plan.

Source: Proto Thema