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November 17, Revolutionary People’s Struggle
Greece, leftists

Weapons and paraphernalia seized from November 17.
(AP Photo/str)

A radical, leftist Greek terrorist group with a tiny membership and a loathing for America, the West, and capitalism. Most anti-terrorism experts think the organization has no more than 25 members—many of them related to one another, which might explain why the group was able to operate secretly and securely for almost three decades. But in July 2002, amid mounting pressure to fix its terrorist problem before the 2004 Olympics, Greek authorities made a major breakthrough and began arresting November 17 members.

How has the Greek government handled terrorism?
After almost three decades of scant success at combating leftist terrorists, Greek authorities finally made headway against November 17 in the summer of 2002. A failed June 2002 bombing in the port of Pireaus led Greek police to their first arrest of a November 17 member, and they captured four more members in July, including two brothers of the Pireaus bomber and a man charged with being the group’s leader. Police also raided November 17’s Athens hide-outs and weapons storehouses, seized weapons caches, and uncovered troves of documents.

Experts say much of the impetus for the 2002 breakthrough came from concerns that Greece’s terrorism problem could mar the 2004 Olympics. Earlier Greek efforts were much less effective, leading some terrorism experts to suspect links or sympathies between Greece’s ruling socialist elite and the tiny terror groups. After the June 2000 murder of British Defense Attaché Stephen Saunders by November 17, Greece strengthened its police counterterrorism unit, offered multimillion-dollar rewards for leads on terrorist groups, and passed legislation for more vigorous counterterrorism efforts. Leading Greek politicians, including the prime minister, denounced Saunders’ murder and terrorism in general. The public widely observed a national moment of silence for victims of terrorism, and Greek Orthodox Archbishop Christodoulos held an unprecedented memorial service for victims of terrorism in Greece. By the end of 2000, Greece had signed all 12 of the U.N. counterterrorism conventions and ratified ten of them. It also sought closer British and American cooperation on counterterrorism.

What sort of attacks has November 17 launched?
The organization’s first known attack came in December 1975, when the CIA’s Athens station chief was shot with a .45-caliber pistol, November 17’s favorite weapon. Since then, the group has claimed responsibility for 21 murders, including the killings of a U.S. Navy captain, a U.S. defense attaché, a Turkish diplomat, and a British defense attaché. November 17’s initial attacks were directed at senior U.S. officials and Greek public figures, but during the 1980s the group expanded its operations to include bombings of ordinary citizens and property. Since 1990, its targets have also included foreign business and European Union facilities.

Where did November 17 get its name?
From the November 17, 1973, student uprising at Athens Polytechnic University. Twenty students were killed when Greek army tanks suppressed the protests, and the group formed in part to retaliate against the ruling military junta.

What are November 17’s goals?
The group, which espouses communism, has continued its anti-Western stance after the Cold War. November 17 bitterly opposes Greek participation in NATO. It also favors ousting U.S. military bases from Greek territory, severing Greece’s ties with the European Union, removing the Turkish military presence from Cyprus, and launching an anti-capitalist popular uprising against the Greek middle and upper classes. In December 2000, after killing a British general, the group released a communique defending itself against mounting public criticism by trying to appeal to populist, pro-Serb sentiments and urging Greeks to defy the government’s counterterrorism efforts.

Are there other terrorist groups in Greece?
Yes. After November 17, the most important is Revolutionary People’s Struggle, known by its Greek acronym ELA—a radical leftist terrorist group that emerged to oppose the Greek military junta that ruled from 1967 to 1974. ELA is a self-described revolutionary, anti-capitalist group that opposes “imperialist domination, exploitation, and oppression.” It is strongly anti-American and hopes to expel U.S. military forces from Greece.

The organizations initial attacks were selected handgun assassinations of senior US officials, including US Embassy employee Richard Welch in 1975, and US Navy Captain George Tsantes in 1983. In 1975 the group began assassinating Greek officials and public figures.

Tactically, 17 November demonstrated a limited operational capability prior to 1985. From 1975 to February 21, 1985, and the Momferatos assassination, 17 November carried out six attacks. Five of these were simple assassinations requiring minimal logistical planning. The sixth operation was an attempted assassination of a US serviceman. These attacks resulted in the death of eight people (two of whom were Americans). Seven of the victims were shot with the same .45 caliber weapon. By using the same “signature” weapon, especially in the early operational stages, 17 November ensured that no other group could take credit for it’s operations.

Beginning in the 1980s bombings became a regular weapon in the group's arsenal. Among their activities during this period were attacks against US military buses in 1987 and the assassination of US defense attache William Nordeen in 1988. Since 1990 17 November has also targeted European Community facilities and foreign firms investing in Greece, and added improvised rocket attacks to its methods.

The organization was responsible for at least five of the 15 terrorist attacks against coalition targets in Greece during the Gulf War, including the assassination of a US Army sergeant in March 1991. They also stepped up attacks against Turkish interests, including the attempted murder of a Turkish Embassy Official in July, and the assassination of a Turkish Embassy press attache in October 1991.

Its operations during 1992 were more reckless and less well planned than in the past. In July, for the first time the group killed a bystander in the course of a rocket attack in downtown Athens on the Greek Finance Minister.

In late November, authorities arrested one of Greece’s most wanted terrorists--a suspected member of the “Anti-State Struggle” organization, possibly linked to 17 November. The group continued to attack official Greek targets. These attacks included the shooting in December of a Greek parliamentarian and the bombing of tax offices.

Greece was the venue for a large number of international terrorist attacks in 1994, the most serious of which was the July 4th assassination of the acting Deputy Chief of Mission of the Turkish Embassy. The Revolutionary Organization 17 November formally claimed responsibility. A number of other attacks against Western interests in April were possibly sparked by events in the Balkans. These including an unsuccessful mortar attack against the British aircraft carrier Ark Royal in Piraeus, for which 17 November also took responsibility. Attacks were also executed against American, Dutch, French, and German commercial and diplomatic targets.

Following the November 26, 1986, car bombing of a Greek police bus, which injured 13 police officers (one fatally), 17 November moved into a new operational phase. Whereas the first phase can be referred to as one of low activity, with only a limited number of operations (six attacks from December 23, 1975, to February 21, 1985), the second and current phase is characterized by a higher level of tactical sophistication, as well as an increase in the number and lethality of attacks. From February 21, 1985 to it’s last possitively identified attack in 1990 (the rocket attack against the offices of the European Community on December 16, 1990), 17 November has carried out 40 attacks, which resulted in the deaths of five people and injured 48 others. Statistically, this five-year period had accounted for 87% of all the group’s operations since 1975.

Organizationally, the group appears to be similar to other European Marxist-Leninist terrorist groups, such as Germany’s Red Army Faction (RAF) and France’s Direct Action; a small well-disciplined group whose hard-core members probably number no more than 20 people. Operational decisions are most likely made on a collective basis rather than by one person.