A 72-year-old woman died on Wednesday from severe burns suffered in an arson attack on the home of a local member of Greece's ruling conservative party, turning a series of coordinated firebombings in the northern city of Thessaloniki into a fatal political attack.
The victim, Vagia Nestora, was the mother of Aphrodite Nestora, a New Democracy party official whose residence was targeted in one of three near-simultaneous attacks on the homes of party figures early Wednesday morning. Greek authorities said improvised incendiary devices were planted outside the residences of three New Democracy officials in different parts of Thessaloniki within a span of 17 minutes.
The most serious incident occurred in the Harilaou district, where a fire broke out outside Ms. Nestora's apartment building at around 4:35 a.m. Local media reported that Ms. Nestora and her mother went downstairs after noticing the blaze and were both injured in the ensuing fire.
According to the Hippokrateio Hospital in Thessaloniki, the 72-year-old woman suffered burns covering approximately 80% of her body and died on Wednesday evening from multiple organ failure. Her daughter remains hospitalized in stable condition with first- and second-degree burns and smoke inhalation injuries. Ms. Nestora's father and two other residents of the building were also treated for respiratory problems caused by smoke inhalation.
Greece's counterterrorism unit has taken over the investigation into the attacks, which have been condemned across the political spectrum. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who visited the injured at the hospital in Thessaloniki earlier in the day, described the perpetrators as "criminals" and vowed that they would be brought to justice. Following news of the woman's death, he said the tragedy confirmed the "murderous and inhuman character of blind violence in public life" and called for "zero tolerance for bloodshed and extremism."
Former Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras also condemned the attack, expressing condolences to the victim's family and stating that terrorism has no place in a democracy.
The incident marks one of the most serious politically linked attacks in Greece in recent years and is likely to intensify concerns over political violence as investigators search for those responsible.
