Greek police claim anti-terror success

The Piraeus port is the busiest in Greece

Greek police have made their first arrest of a suspect from the elusive communist guerrilla organisation, 17 November (17N).

The arrest has been hailed as a significant breakthrough in the police's lacklustre campaign against the group.

Brigadier Saunders was 17N's 23rd victim

The suspect, Savas Xiros, 40, was taken into custody after the bomb he was alleged to be carrying exploded near the ticket offices of the Flying Dolphin hydrofoil company in the country's busiest port, Piraeus.

He was critically injured in the blast and is in the intensive care unit of an Athens hospital under guard.

Police recovered a revolver near the scene of the blast which they say was used to murder a police officer in 1984, and which could prove a vital piece of information in the hunt for 17N.

The target of the botched bomb attack remains unclear, but it coincided with the start of the Greek tourist season.

Authorities buoyed

The link between 17N and Mr Xiros, a painter of Orthodox religious icons and the son of a priest, is yet to be proved.

But the BBC's Malcolm Brabant, in Athens, says the authorities are upbeat. They hope the man, now dubbed the Flying Dolphin Bomber, will prove a valuable source of information on 17N.

The group has been active since 1975.

Since then it has killed 23 people including US and British officials, Greek parliamentarians, magistrates, newspaper publishers, leading industrialists and ship owners.

Its last victim was Brigadier Stephen Saunders. He was assassinated on his way to work at the British Embassy two years ago, apparently for his "instrumental role" in Nato's air campaign against Yugoslavia.

The Greek authorities have faced increasing international criticism for their failure to make any significant inroads against 17N.

Pressure has intensified in the run-up to the 2004 Olympic Games to be held in Athens.