A reproduction of '17 November' logo that appeared on their proclamations

November 17 (Greek: Επαναστατική Οργάνωση 17 Νοέμβρη, Epanastatiki Organosi dekaefta Noemvri), (also known as 17N or N17) is a Marxist terrorist organization formed in 1973 and believed by many to be have been disbanded in 2002 after the arrest and trial of a number of its members. During its heyday, the urban guerrilla group assassinated 23 people in 103 attacks on U.S., diplomatic and Greek targets. Greek authorities believe spin-off terror groups are still in operation, including Revolutionary Struggle, the group that assumed responsibility for a rocket propelled grenade fired at the U.S. Embassy in Athens in January 2007. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Marxism takes its name from the praxis (the synthesis of philosophy and political action) of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. ... This is an article about a Greek paramilitary group. ... An RPG-7 captured by the US Army RPG, or Rocket propelled grenade is a loose term describing hand-held, shoulder-launched anti-tank weapons capable of firing an unguided rocket equipped with an explosive warhead. ...

Formation

The group's name, N17, refers to the final day of the 1973 Athens Polytechnic uprising, in which a protest against the Greek Military Junta (1967 - 1974), also known as the Regime of the Colonels took place. The uprising ended after a series of events that started when a tank took down the main gate of the Polytechneion and security forces, including soldiers, stormed the campus. 17N self-identified as marxist and anti-imperialist, while their communiques had intense anti-american content. In addition to assassinations, 17N was convicted for a number of bank robberies. Members of 17N claim they stole money to finance their activities. An AMX 30 tank standing in front of the Athens Polytechnic. ... The Phoenix rising from its flames and the silhouette of the soldier bearing a rifle with fixed bayonet was the emblem of the Junta. ... George Papadopoulos Greek Γεώργιος Παπαδόπουλος, Georgios Papadopoulos, (May 5, 1919 – June 27, 1999) was the head of the military coup détat that took place in Greece on April 21, 1967... Marxism is the political practice and social theory based on the works of Karl Marx, a 19th century philosopher, economist, journalist, and revolutionary, along with Friedrich Engels. ...

Attacks

N17's first attack, in December 1975, was against the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency's station chief in Athens, Richard Welch. Welch was gunned down outside his residence by three or four assailants, in front of his wife and driver. 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is an intelligence agency of the United States government. ... Richard Skeffington Welch (1929—December 23, 1975), a Harvard educated classicist, was a CIA Station Chief murdered by the radical leftist organization Revolutionary Organization 17 November. ...

After the formation of the leftist/socialist PASOK government in 1981, the terror group expanded beyond attacking U.S. targets by striking at center-right Greek personalities and NATO personnel. Although Greeks were targeted, distaste for the U.S remained a central theme. For example, after the 1983 slaying of Nikos Momferatos, a note was found near his body stating that Greece "remained a puppet regime in the hands of the American imperialists and the economic establishment." Party logo The Panhellenic Socialist Movement, better known as PASOK (Greek: Πανελλήνιο Σοσιαλιστικό Κίνημα, Panellinio Sosialistiko Kinima, ΠΑΣΟΚ), is a Greek social democratic political party. ...

In addition to its anti-American agenda, the group was also opposed to Turkey and NATO. In total, N17 has conducted 19 attacks against U.S. targets, 9 against Turks, and dozens more against US interests. However, the majority of the 103 attacks carried out between 1975 and 2002 were directed against right-of-center Greeks and Greek companies. NATO 2002 Summit in Prague. ...

One of N17's most prominent assassinations was that of New Democracy member Pavlos Bakoyannis, who was shot at close range in downtown Athens in September 1989. Other victims included Captain George Tsantes Jr., United States Navy officer and head of JUSMAGG (Joint United States Military Aid Group to Greece), and his Greek driver, both shot while driving to work; Nikos Momferatos, the publisher of conservative newspaper Apogevmatini, shot in Athens; Captain William Nordeen U.S.N., whose car was destroyed by a car bomb a few meters from his residence, as he drove past it on 28 June 1988; U.S. Air Force Sergeant Ronald O. Stewart, who was killed by a car bomb outside his residence on 12 March 1991; Çetin Görgü (a Turkish citizen), Turkish press attaché, shot in his car on 7 October 1991; Ömer Haluk Sipahioğlu, a Turkish embassy official, shot on an Athens street on 4 July 1994; Anglo-Hellenic shipping tycoon Constantinos Peratikos, shot leaving his office on 28 May 1997 and Brigadier Stephen Saunders on 8 June 2000 Party logo New Democracy (ND, Greek: Νέα Δημοκρατία, Nea Dhimokratia), founded in 1974, is the main center-right liberal-conservative political party in Greece. ... Pavlos Bakoyannis (Greek:Παύλος Μπακογιάννης) (died September 26, 1989) was a liberal Greek politician who was well known for his broadcasts against the Greek military dictatorship of 1967-1974 on Deutsche Welle radio. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Apogevmatini is a Greek newspaper that is published nationally. ... William Edward Nordeen was the United States defense and naval attache to the U.S. Embassy in Athens, Greece. ... June 28 is the 179th day of the year (180th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 186 days remaining. ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... March 12 is the 71st day of the year (72nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... October 7 is the 280th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (281st in leap years). ... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Athens (Greek: Αθήνα - Athína) is the largest city and capital of Greece, located in the Attica periphery of central Greece. ... For the United States holiday, the Fourth of July, see Independence Day (United States). ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by United Nations. ... May 28 is the 148th day of the year (149th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Brigadier Stephen Saunders (1947 - 8 June 2000), the British military attaché in Athens, was murdered on 8 June 2000 by motorcycle gunmen who were members of Revolutionary Organization 17 November (N17). ... June 8 is the 159th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (160th in leap years), with 206 days remaining. ... 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In many instances, the group used a .38 caliber pistol retrieved from a policeman killed in 1984, or a .45 M1911 handgun, which came to be regarded as their signature weapon.^[1] While face-to-face assassination was their early modus operandi, the group later used rockets and bombs stolen from Greek military facilities. Over 50 rocket attacks were claimed by 17N, starting with an attack on a Greek police bus in which 14 were wounded and 1 killed. The M1911 is a single-action, semiautomatic handgun chambered for the . ...

After their inaugural attack on the CIA station chief, the group tried to get mainstream newspapers to publish their manifesto. Their first proclamation, claiming the murder of Richard Welch, was first sent to "Liberation" in Paris, France. It was given to the publisher of "Liberation" via the offices of Jean Paul Sartre,^[2] but was not published. After subsequent attacks, 17N usually sent a communique to the Eleftherotypia newspaper. The group argued in its communiques that it wanted to rid Greece of U.S. bases, to remove the Turkish military from Cyprus, and to sever Greece's ties to the NATO and the European Union. Cover of the Sunday edition of the Newspaper, March 25 2006. ...

On January 12, 2007, a group calling itself "Revolutionary Struggle" claimed responsibility for a missile attack on the United States embassy in Athens. The group described itself as a spinoff of N17.^[3] January 12 is the 12th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... This is an article about a Greek paramilitary group. ...

Victims

A partial list of the victims:^[4]

• Richard Welch, CIA attache in Athens. (23 December 1975)
• Evangelos Mallios, policeman who was accused of torturing political prisoners during the period of military junta. (14 December 1976)
• Pantelis Petrou, assistant commander of the Greek police force's Riot Control Unit (M.A.T). (16 January 1980)
• Sotiris Stamoulis, driver of the above mentioned. (16 January 1980)
• George Tsantes, a US Navy Commander, high level executive of JUSMAGG (15 November 1983)
• Nikos Veloutsos, driver of the above mentioned. (15 November 1983)
• Robert Judd, Army Master Sergeant, Postal officer for JUSMAGG in Greece, wounded in an assassination attempt. (3 April 1984)
• Nikos Momferatos, publisher of the "Apogevmatini" newspaper. (21 February 1985)
• Georgios Roussetis, driver of above mentioned. (21 February 1985)
• Dimitrios Aggelopoulos, President of the board of Halyvourgiki S.A.. (8 April 1986)
• Alexander Athanasiadis-Bodosakis, industrialist. (1 March 1988)
• William Nordeen, a US Navy Commander, killed by a car bomb. (23 June 1988)
• Constantinos Androulidakis, a public prosecutor, assassinated. (10 January 1989)
• Panayiotis Tarasouleas, also a public prosecutor, is shot and injured. (18 January 1989)
• Giorgos Petsos is injured in a bomb explosion in his car. (8 May 1989)
• Pavlos Bakoyannis, New Democracy party member and MP (26 September 1989)
• Ronald O. Stewart,a US Air Force Sergeant, killed by a bomb. (13 March 1991)
• Deniz Bulukbasi,Turkish Charge d’Affaires, is injured by a car bomb. (16 July 1991)
• Cetin Gorgu, Turkish Press attache (7 October 1991)
• Yiannis Varis, a police officer, is killed in a missile and hand grenade attack against a riot squad bus (2 November 1991)
• Athanasios Axarlian, a student passer by; killed on the spot by shrapnel during a rocket attack targeting the limousine of Finance Minister Ioannis Palaiokrassas. (14 July 1992)
• Eleftherios Papadimitriou, New Democracy party deputy and MP, is shot and injured. (21 December 1992)
• Michael Vranopoulos, former governor of the National Bank of Greece. (24 January 1994)
• Omer Haluk Sipahioglu, consul of the Turkish Embassy in Athens. (4 July 1994)
• Constantinos Peratikos, ship owner, last person to own the shipyards of Scaramangas. (28 May 1997)
• Stephen Saunders, military attache of the British Embassy in Athens. (15 June 2000)

Richard Skeffington Welch (1929—December 23, 1975), a Harvard educated classicist, was a CIA Station Chief murdered by the radical leftist organization Revolutionary Organization 17 November. ... Athens (Greek: Αθήνα - Athína) is the largest city and capital of Greece, located in the Attica periphery of central Greece. ... The United States Navy, also known as the USN or the U.S. Navy, is a branch of the United States armed forces responsible for conducting naval operations. ... Apogevmatini is a Greek newspaper that is published nationally. ... William Edward Nordeen was the United States defense and naval attache to the U.S. Embassy in Athens, Greece. ... The United States Navy, also known as the USN or the U.S. Navy, is a branch of the United States armed forces responsible for conducting naval operations. ... Pavlos Bakoyannis (Greek:Παύλος Μπακογιάννης) (died September 26, 1989) was a liberal Greek politician who was well known for his broadcasts against the Greek military dictatorship of 1967-1974 on Deutsche Welle radio. ... Party logo New Democracy (ND, Greek: Νέα Δημοκρατία, Nea Dhimokratia), founded in 1974, is the main center-right liberal-conservative political party in Greece. ... The United States Air Force (USAF) is the aerial warfare branch of the United States armed forces and one of the seven uniformed services. ... Party logo New Democracy (ND, Greek: Νέα Δημοκρατία, Nea Dhimokratia), founded in 1974, is the main center-right liberal-conservative political party in Greece. ... The National Bank of Greece (NBG; Greek: Εθνική Τράπεζα της Ελλάδος) (NYSE: NBG) (LSE: NBGA) is the oldest and, today, the largest commercial bank in Greece and heads the strongest financial group in the country. ... Brigadier Stephen Saunders (1947 - 8 June 2000), the British military attaché in Athens, was murdered on 8 June 2000 by motorcycle gunmen who were members of Revolutionary Organization 17 November (N17). ...

Trial

On June 29, 2002 Greek authorities captured an injured suspect, Savvas Xiros, following a failed bombing attempt on the Flying Dolphin ferry company in Piraeus. A search of Xiros' person and interrogation led to the discovery of two safe houses and to the arrests of six more suspects, including two brothers of Savvas. A 58-year-old professor^{[citation needed]} and economist^{[citation needed]}, Alexandros Giotopoulos, was identified as the group leader and was arrested on July 17 on the island of Lipsi. On September 5, Dimitris Koufodinas, identified as the group's chief of operations, surrendered to the authorities. In all, nineteen individuals were charged with some 2,500 offenses relating to the activities of N17. June 29 is the 180th day of the year (181st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 185 days remaining. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... Photo of Giotopoulos as he was being brought in the Greek Police HQ for questioning. ... July 17 is the 198th day of the year (199th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Lipsi is an island south of Samos and to the north of Leros in Greece. ... September 5 is the 248th day of the year (249th in leap years). ...

The trial of the terrorist suspects commenced in Athens on March 3, 2003, with Christos Lambrou serving as the lead prosecutor for the Greek state.^[5] Because of the 20-year statute of limitations, crimes committed before 1984 (such as the killing of the CIA station chief) could not be tried by the court. On December 8, fifteen of the accused, including A. Giotopoulos and D. Koufodinas, were found guilty; another four defendants were acquitted for lack of evidence. The convicted members were sentenced on December 17, 2003.^[6] All those convicted defendants appealed, and the appeal trials are currently underway.^[7] Athens (Greek: Αθήνα - Athína) is the largest city and capital of Greece, located in the Attica periphery of central Greece. ... March 3 is the 62nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (63rd in leap years). ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 8 is the 342nd day of the year (343rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... December 17 is the 351st day of the year (352nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Continuing allegations

In December 2005, journalist Kleanthis Grivas published an article in To Proto Thema, a Greek Sunday newspaper, in which he accused "Sheepskin", the Greek branch of Gladio, NATO's stay-behind paramilitary organization during the Cold War, of the assassination of CIA station chief Richard Welch in Athens in 1975, as well as of the assassination of Stephen Saunders in 2000. This was denied by the US State Department, who responded that "the Greek terrorist organization '17 November' was responsible for both assassinations" [7], and asserted that Grivas's central piece of evidence had been a document ("Westmoreland Field Manual") which the State department, as well as a Congressional inquiry had dismissed as a Soviet forgery. It should be noted the documents make no specific mention of Greece, November 17th, nor Welch. The State Department also highlighted the fact that, in the case of Richard Welch, "Grivas bizarrely accuses the CIA of playing a role in the assassination of one of its own senior officials" as well as the Greek government's statements to the effect that the "stay behind" network had been dismantled in 1988. 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Operation Gladio Operation Gladio was a clandestine stay-behind operation sponsored by the CIA and NATO to counter communist influence in Italy, as well as in other European countries. ... NATO 2002 Summit in Prague. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... For other uses, see Cold War (disambiguation). ... Richard Skeffington Welch (1929—December 23, 1975), a Harvard educated classicist, was a CIA Station Chief murdered by the radical leftist organization Revolutionary Organization 17 November. ... Brigadier Stephen Saunders (1947 - 8 June 2000), the British military attaché in Athens, was murdered on 8 June 2000 by motorcycle gunmen who were members of Revolutionary Organization 17 November (N17). ... The United States Department of State, often referred to as the State Department, is the Cabinet-level foreign affairs agency of the United States government, equivalent to foreign ministries in other countries. ... The US Army Field Manual 30-31B, with what purports to be an appendix to FM 30-31, aka Westmoreland Field Manual (named after General William Westmoreland), is a faux classified US Army Field Manual purporting to describe top-secret counter insurgency tactics. ...

References

1. ^ Trademark Colt pistol is identified - Archived article from Kathimerini newspaper 7-18-2002. [1]
2. ^ Giotopoulos the son of renowned Greek Trotskyite - Cyprus Mail archive article - Saturday, July 20, 2002 [2]
3. ^ Carassava, Anthee. "U.S.: Greek leftists 'attacked embassy'", CNN.com World, CNN, 2007-01-12. Retrieved on 2007-01-12. 
4. ^ Chronology of all November 17 attacks - Archived article from Kathimerini newspaper 7-8-2002. [3]
5. ^ Nov17 trial begins - Archived article from Kathimerini newspaper 3-3-2003. [4]
6. ^ Deadly November 17 to end its life in prison - Archived article from Kathimerini newspaper 18 Dec 03 [5]
7. ^ No TV in 17N trial - Archived article from Athens News Agency, 9 Dec 05 [6]