Athens News Agency: News in English, 09-11-16

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] Escaped convict Rizaj nabbed

[02] De Nigris dies suddenly

[01] Escaped convict Rizaj nabbed

Rizaj was arrested at 7:10 a.m. in a coordinated operation by Security Police and EKAM special forces police in the town of Ano Souli in Marathon, northeast of Athens.

The fugitive's hideout was pinpointed by Security Police a few days earlier and was placed under discrete surveillance.

Rizaj, an Albanian national, was arrested together with his female companion and another couple, who were all living together in the hideout.

Police were searching the premises to collect clues and evidence, while the four detainees were due to be taken to security police headquarters later in the day.

Paleokostas and Rizaj became Greece's most wanted fugitives for a second time on February 23 after escaping again by helicopter, in an unprecedented repeat of their Hollywood-style escape from the same prison on June 4, 2006 during which they were spirited away from the courtyard of Korydallos prison near Piraeus, in a spectacular operation masterminded by Paleokostas' brother Nikos, then a fugitive from justice.

Vassilis Paleokostas was re-captured on August 2 in Thessaloniki, northern Greece, and was named by police as the mastermind of the abduction two months earlier of Federation of Industries of Northern Greece (SBBE) president and Alumil aluminum industry CEO George Mylonas outside Thessaloniki, who was later released after his family paid a hefty ranson.

Rizaj was captured three months after the escape in the coastal village of Prodromos in Viotia prefecture, while fugitive Nikos Paleokostas was arrested a few weeks afterwards near Livadia, also in Viotia prefecture, after years of eluding police capture.

Attica security police investigating the case believe that this second escape was organized by Rizaj, with money supplied by Vassilis Paleokostas.

They also said that a key role was played by a 35-year-old woman who chartered the helicopter from the private Interjet air charter company. The woman, and her male accomplice, are both believed to be foreign nationals, possibly Albanian.

The woman, posing as a businesswoman, had approached Interject twice, chartering a helicopter twice on February 13 and 15, with which she flew to Itea.

Caption: ANA-MPA file photo of convict Alket Rizaj.

[02] De Nigris dies suddenly

De Nigris felt unwell in the morning and his wife called an ambulance, but he died on the way to the hospital. The cause of death will be announced on Tuesday after the coroner completes his examination.

Caption: Larissa FC Mexican football player Antonio De Nigris (L) and Panathinaikos FC defender Loukas Vyntra (R) during the match for the Greek Superleague Panathinaikos -Larissa on Monday 5 October 2009, at the Olympic Stadium in Athens.

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