N17 suspected in armoury raid

N17 has threatened actions for the exchange of prisoners

ATHENS, Greece -- A cache of weapons has been stolen from a Greek military armoury raising fears the November 17 terror group was behind the raid.

Military authorities said the thieves, whose haul included automatic rifles and .45 pistols, tunneled through a wall to get to the weapons on the island of Kos.

Officials told The Associated Press that N17 was suspected although ordinary criminals had not yet been ruled out completely.

N17 has suffered a series of setbacks in recent weeks including the arrest of suspected key members and the discovery of its arsenals in the capital, Athens.

It was not immediately clear whether the weapons were under guard or in an unmonitored army storehouse on the island, near the Turkish coast about 250 kilometres (180 miles) southeast of Athens.

EXTRA INFORMATION • Greece's deadly terror group  • Chronology: N17 terror attacks    MORE STORIES • N17 suspects allege mistreatment

A hole was dug through a wall from an adjacent storeroom holding military uniforms, they said.

N17 claimed its first victim in 1975 -- Athens CIA station chief Richard Welch -- and has gone on to kill a total of 23 diplomats, politicians and businessmen.

Its killings were accompanied by propaganda pamphlets espousing a left-wing anti U.S., anti EU policy.

Until this year no one had ever been arrested for being a member of N17 or for any of its murders.

But since July, 15 suspected members have been taken into custody including alleged leader Alexandros Giotopoulos.

On Wednesday, a Greek newspaper published what it said was an open letter from the group. (Full story)

It acknowledged key members were in custody, hinted at reprisals and warned N17 was still alive and that volunteers were ready to take the place of those arrested.