3 appear in court accused of causing Athens gas explosion by stealing copper piping

ATHENS, Greece -- Three men accused of causing a deadly explosion in the heart of Athens’ tourist district by allegedly stealing copper piping from the local gas supply network were appearing in court Monday for a preliminary hearing.

The massive blast on Sept. 25 caused the collapse of a two-story residential building in the Greek capital’s historic Plaka district, near the ancient Acropolis. Six people were killed – an elderly couple living in one of the apartments, and four American tourists staying in a short-term rental property in the building.

The three suspects – two Greeks and one Albanian national – allegedly removed piping from the building’s gas supply network to sell the copper as scrap. The fire department announced on Thursday that a 34-day investigation led authorities to issue arrest warrants for the three for causing a major gas leak by allegedly stealing sections of copper piping.

“I’m devastated by what happened, but the explosion wasn’t my fault,” one of the three said when waiting reporters asked the suspects if they were sorry, as police led them into the courthouse.

Copper has high scrap metal value, and the theft of copper wiring, piping and metal from infrastructure sites in Greece is frequent.

The suspects face a series of serious charges, including arson, manslaughter with possible intent, causing a deadly explosion and causing dangerous bodily harm.