Petrol bomb attacks in Thessaloniki kill mother of New Democracy candidate

A petrol bomb attack at the apartment building of New Democracy candidate Afroditi Nestora in Thessaloniki killed her mother, Vagia Nestora, after flames tore through the entrance and set parked vehicles ablaze. The attack struck around 4:35 a.m. and left two cars destroyed, several motorcycles damaged, and the building badly scarred by smoke and fire.

Vagia Nestora, 72, was taken to Hippocrates Hospital with severe burns over about 80 percent of her body and later died of multiple organ failure. Afroditi Nestora, her parents, and two other residents were hospitalized after the blast, which sent heavy smoke into the entrance area of the apartment block in Thessaloniki’s A electoral district.

The explosion was the most serious of three attacks that hit homes linked to New Democracy in Thessaloniki within about 17 minutes. The other targets were the residence of Zisis Ioakeimovits, chairman of New Democracy’s Thessaloniki steering committee, and the home of former MP Savvas Anastasiadis. Those attacks occurred at about 4:18 a.m. and 4:23 a.m., and no injuries were reported in either case.

Greece’s Counter-Terrorism Service took over the investigation as police reviewed CCTV footage and searched for those responsible. No arrests had been announced, and no group claimed responsibility for the coordinated strikes. The timing, the choice of targets, and the use of incendiary devices pointed investigators toward a planned operation rather than random vandalism or routine street unrest.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis visited Afroditi Nestora in hospital and condemned the attacks as “murderous and inhumane,” pledging that those responsible would be brought to justice.