25.2.13
The police and prison authorities of Trikala have successfully thwarted a daring helicopter escape attempt by convicted criminal Panagiotis Vlastos on Sunday afternoon. Four people have been arrested, including the helicopter pilot. Vlastos was injured during the escape attempt and has been hospitalized.
According to reports, the helicopter passengers opened fire against the prison guards, to create a diversion and secure Vlastos. The guards, however, reacted and as soon as they saw the helicopter landing, they returned fire. The president of the nationwide federation of prison guards Giannis Anagnostou stated in an interview for Mega Channel that over 500 shots were fired and that the helicopter attempted to pick up Vlastos twice. Mr. Anagnostou also revealed that the pilot told the police that Vlastos’ accomplices had a bag of explosive devices, which is still missing.
During the Vlastos’ second attempt to board the helicopter, he fell off a ladder and injured himself. One of the other four men onboard the helicopter was injured by a stray bullet. Vlastos has been convicted for a string of murders, armed robberies, drug trafficking and other criminal activities, including the kidnapping of ship-owner Periklis Panagopoulos in 2009.
This is the third escape attempt with a helicopter, following those of Vasilis Paleokostas and Alket Rizai in 2006 and 2009. The helicopter used in Sunday’s escape attempt was the same helicopter rented in Aspropyrgos that was used in the first helicopter escape in 2006.
Police suspect that Vlastos might have been assisted by members of militant anarchists groups, such as SPF, in light of the plans recovered from a USB hard drive detailing a helicopter escape from Korydallos. Vlastos cooperated with arrested SPF members during a failed escape attempt from Korydallos in December 2011.
