Grief in Thessaloniki: Politician's Mother Dies in Arson Attack

Sun Sep 06 2026 05:23:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

The 72‑year‑old mother of a New Democracy party official died after a series of petrol‑bomb attacks in Thessaloniki.

The mother of a New Democracy politician has died following a series of suspected arson attacks targeting party officials in Thessaloniki. Vagia Nestora, 72, suffered severe burns covering 80% of her body and succumbed to organ failure. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis condemned the violence as inhumane and pledged a united government response. Police and counter‑terrorism services are investigating the attacks, attributed to a single group of pyro‑criminals, but no arrests have yet been made. Political leaders across the spectrum have called for swift justice and vowed to eradicate such terror from the country.

Grief in Thessaloniki: Politician's Mother Dies in Arson Attack

Damage after a gas canister bomb exploded in Thessaloniki

The mother of a New Democracy party official has died after a series of suspected petrol‑bomb attacks targeting party officials in Thessaloniki. Vagia Nestora, 72, suffered severe burns covering 80% of her body before succumbing to multiple organ failure.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis condemned the violence as inhumane and called for a united response, saying the attacks expose a "murderous and inhumane nature" of political violence. He stated that those who carried out such attacks under the guise of social struggle were "criminals" and would be dealt with as such.

Police said the improvised incendiary devices were placed outside the apartment building where Daughter Afroditi Nestora lives, triggering an explosion that destroyed two cars and damaged several motorcycles. The blast also harmed two other residents, including the father of Afroditi and two additional occupants.

The second and third attacks targeted the homes of Zisis Ioakeimovits, chairman of New Democracy’s Thessaloniki administrative committee, and former MP Savvas Anastasiadis, but no injuries were reported there.

Officials from Greece’s Counter‑Terrorism Service have taken over the investigation, with no arrests made so far and no group claiming responsibility. Opposition leader Nikos Androulakis demanded that those responsible be arrested and punished, while former Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras echoed the condemnation that terrorism has no place in a democracy.