Fire service says suspects sabotaged gas pipes while trying to steal copper
Greek authorities on Friday arrested three men in connection with a Sept. 25 explosion that collapsed an apartment building in Athens and killed six people, including four Americans.
Two Greek men, ages 37 and 55, and an Albanian man, 34, were arrested for allegedly stealing copper gas pipes from the building, and authorities said their actions led to the explosion. The three went before a court on Friday, and the court granted them an extension until Monday to prepare their defense, fire service spokesperson Vassilis Vathrakoyiannis said.
Police investigators have not said what charges they will pursue against the three men.
“According to the findings of the investigation, the three individuals are alleged to have sabotaged the pipe work of the natural gas installation in an attempt to steal copper pipes,” the fire service said in a statement. “Investigating their actions and establishing their connection to the explosion formed a central part of the inquiry.”
Security camera footage allegedly shows the men entering the building’s ground-floor stairwell before the explosion, the Greek newspaper Katherimeni reported.
The Sept. 25 explosion collapsed the entire building. The dead included a married couple, Briton Edmond Hings, 78, and his Greek wife, Athena Papaprescou, 77.
The four Americans killed were newlyweds on their honeymoon: Alexander Kirkpatrick, 37, and his wife, Florida Hoxha, 34, along with her brother, Florin Hoxha, and Florin Hoxha’s pregnant wife, Eris Cani.
They had already checked in for their flight home but had not yet left.
Theft of copper electrical infrastructure is a common problem in Greece, particularly in rural areas, but theft of gas pipes is more rare.