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Greek journalist gunned down; police cite terrorists

20 July 2010 21:04 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. A Greek journalist was gunned down in a pre-dawn attack outside his home Monday by suspected members of a Greek terrorist group that had vowed to target the media, police said, APA reports quoting trivalleycentral.com website.

At least two attackers fired 16 shots at 37-year-old Sokratis Giolias, killing him instantly after luring him from his home Athensâ€™ eastern neighborhood of Ilioupoli, reportedly by telling him his car was being stolen.
Giolias headed the private Athens radio station Thema FM and wrote on a popular online news blog, Troktiko, which often deals with political, business and social scandals.

The blog said two or three gunmen were believed to have shot Giolias, who was married with a young child. Police said they believe more than one gunman was involved. A car reported stolen was found burned out near the scene of the shooting, said police, who are investigating whether it was linked to the attack.

Sixteen bullet casings recovered from the scene matched two 9-millimeter weapons used by the Greek terrorist group Sect of Revolutionaries, police said in a statement.

The group emerged after Greece was hit by widespread rioting in December 2008, sparked by the policeâ€™s fatal shooting of a teenage boy. It has previously claimed responsibility for killing an anti-terrorist police officer in June 2009 and for attacking a private television station with gunshots and an explosive device in February that year.

When it assumed responsibility for the TV station attack, the group had accused the media of manufacturing news and attempting to ensure that the public remains obedient to the state.

â€œJournalists, this time we came to your door, but next time you will find us in your homes,â€ it had said.

Greek authorities have battled increasingly deadly attacks by militant groups since the 2008 riots. Last month, a letter bomb exploded inside the Civil Protection Ministry â€” one of Greeceâ€™s most heavily guarded buildings â€” killing a close