Greece Arrests Three Men Over Athens Gas Explosion That Killed Six, Including Four Americans

Greek authorities have arrested three men over a gas explosion in central Athens that killed six people last month, after investigators concluded that the theft of copper pipes damaged the building's natural gas supply hours before the blast. Two of the men are Greek nationals and the third is an Albanian national, Reuters reported on Friday.

The explosion hit a two-storey building on Lysikratous Street in Plaka, the tourist district in central Athens, early on September 25. Six people were killed, four of them Americans. The blast went off early in the morning when one of the residents turned on a light, fire brigade officials said.

What the investigation found

Experts with the fire brigade's crime investigation unit concluded that the suspects damaged the building's main natural gas supply infrastructure while removing copper pipe parts, causing the leak that led to the explosion, officials said late on Thursday. Greece's Fire Service said its Arson Crimes Division solved the case after a 34-day investigation, carried out under the supervision of prosecutors and in strict secrecy. Arrest warrants were issued for the three men, and all three were detained on Thursday. The men have previous records for offences including theft and drugs, according to the Fire Service account reported in Greece.

Felony charges in court on Friday

The three suspects were brought before a prosecutor at the Evelpidon court complex in Athens on Friday, October 30. The public broadcaster ERT reported that they are being prosecuted for jointly causing an explosion that put others in danger and resulted in deaths, for multiple counts of homicide with possible intent, and for dangerous bodily harm. The men were expected to ask for time to prepare their defence before an investigating magistrate, who will then decide whether they should be held in pre-trial detention. All three are presumed innocent unless a court finds otherwise.

The arrests close the first phase of the investigation into one of the deadliest incidents in the Greek capital this year. Fire brigade officials announced their findings late on Thursday, five weeks after the blast in Plaka, and the case now moves to the investigating magistrate in Athens.