Weapons cache found near historic Greek stadium

ATHENS, Greece (CNN) -- Amid a crackdown on the 17 November militant group, Greek authorities said they discovered a cache of weapons Sunday near the stadium where the first modern Olympics were held.

The cache, which authorities said included several guns and a stick of dynamite, was reported near Panathinaiko Stadium, site of the 1896 Olympics and a planned site for the 2004 Summer Games.

Authorities have seized several stockpiles of arms since June and arrested 14 people suspected of being members of the leftist group, including suspected leader Alexandros Giotopoulos.

The group, blamed for the killings of 23 diplomats, politicians and businessmen since 1975, has vowed to continue its campaign of violence.

Investigators are probing whether it was responsible for the recent theft of a cache of weapons from a Greek military base.

The weapons were stolen from an armory at a Greek military base on the island of Kos, 180 miles southeast of Athens, and included machine guns and .45-caliber pistols -- the group's signature weapon, officials said.

Officials have not linked the heist to 17 November, which gets its name from a 1973 student uprising against the military government that then ruled Greece. The group's first victim was Richard Welch, CIA station chief at the U.S. Embassy.

Its most recent victim was Brig. Stephen Saunders, Britain's senior military attache, who was killed in 2000.

The killers typically leave pamphlets espousing anti-U.S. and anti-EU ideology. Documents seized in recent police raids and leaked to Greek news outlets over the weekend suggest the group meticulously monitored its targets before striking.

-- Journalist Anthee Carassava contributed to this story.