Former Olympic chief issues terrorist warning
Athens 2004 organizing committee president Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki could be a target of left-wing Greek terrorists, according to a former Athens Olympics boss.
Stratis Stratigis, appointed first chairman of Athens Games organizers, ATHOC, told Australian television he had been a target of the terrorist group known as November 17.
The group have been responsible for up to 22 killings since 1975 and Stratis said Greek security officials took the threats seriously.
"I received a couple of threats when I was chairman and they (Greek security officials) suggested I should get ... an armoured vehicle and a guard," Stratigis told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Foreign Correspondent program in a report to be aired next week.
"I said I'll become much more conspicuous because if they want to gun me down, they will gun me down even if I have the best protection."
Stratigis says ATHOC president Angelopoulos-Daskalaki could be one of the group's next targets.
"She might be a target - there is no doubt about that, because we've seen various targets.
"They change from time to time the targets of that particular terrorist organization . . . she should take care of herself."
On Thursday, a former US State Department official said the 2004 Games could be a "bloody disaster" because the Greek government lacks the political will to crack down on a terrorist group.
A Greek official disputed that claim and said his government will take all necessary security precautions.
