Athens, Monday
LEFTIST Greek guerrillas shot and killed a senior Turkish diplomat in
an ambush outside his Athens home today, Public Order Minister Stelios
Papathemelis told reporters.
He said a three-man hit-squad opened fire on Turkish embassy
Counsellor Omer Haluk Sipahioglu with the same .45 calibre
semi-automatic pistol that the November 17 guerrilla group has used in a
string of killings, including that of a US Central Intelligence Agency
station chief.
''It's November 17,'' Papathemelis said bluntly after initial
ballistics tests on cartridge cases found at the scene.
The gunmen laid in wait for 46-year-old Sipahioglu outside his home in
the seaside suburb of Palaio Faliro.
They pumped six bullets into his chest and abdomen after he climbed
into his car to drive to work at the central Athens embassy. They then
escaped in heavy traffic.
Sipahioglu was sitting alone in the car when a front side-window was
blown out in a hail of bullets.
He survived the attack but died in hospital several hours later. A
hospital spokesman said Sipahioglu underwent surgery but had lost too
much blood to be saved.
The diplomat spoke briefly, telling doctors simply: ''I'm dying.''
Greek leaders sent messages of regret to Turkey and to Sipahioglu's
family.
Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou expressed his condolences over the
''abhorrent murder'' in a note to Turkish Prime Minister Tansu Ciller.
November 17 has not claimed responsibility for today's shooting. But
the group usually makes its claims a day or so after an attack in a long
letter to an Athens newspaper or radio station.
The mysterious guerrillas have been in operation in Athens since
December 1975, when they killed CIA station chief Richard Welch. Police
have never infiltrated the group or made any arrests, leading to endless
speculation about who its members are.
November 17 has killed 20 Greeks, Americans and Turks -- ranging from
Greek policemen and politicians to US diplomats and military personnel.
They are notorious for precision hits with guns, time-bombs and
rocket-propelled grenades.
Today's attack is certain to aggravate relations between Greece and
Turkey, which have been strained in recent months by a series of
disputes.
Ankara has accused Greece of training Kurdish rebels, who are fighting
for independence and have carried out several attacks on tourist targets
in Turkey in recent months.
Greece has accused Ankara of violating its airspace, raising tensions
in a large Muslim minority near the Turkish border, and of failing to
provide security for the Ecumenical Patriarch, the Istanbul-based
spiritual leader of Orthodox Christians.--Reuter.
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