The Greek Minister of Infrastructure and Transport uploaded photos on social media claiming sabotage. Credit: Kyranakis/Facebook
The Chief Prosecutor of the Thessaloniki Appeals Court has ordered an urgent preliminary investigation into a severe incident of railway sabotage occurring just 48 hours before the third anniversary of the deadly Tempi train disaster.
The investigation follows a formal complaint by Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Konstantinos Kyranakis, who reported that remote control (tele-command) cables were intentionally severed on the main Athens-Thessaloniki line at Platy, Imathia.
Targeted attack on railway infrastructure
The Chief Prosecutor, Leonidas Nikolopoulos, has instructed the District Prosecutor’s Office to determine whether felony-level offenses have been committed. The case has been handed over to the Northern Greece branch of the newly formed “Hellenic FBI” (the Organized Crime Division). According to the forensic site inspection conducted by police analysts, there is evidence of:
- Premeditated sabotage: The perpetrators smashed through protective concrete casing and excavated the cables.
- Specialized tools: The cables, which feature double heavy-duty shielding, were cut using specialized equipment.
- No economic motive: No materials (such as copper) were stolen, ruling out the common scenario of scrap metal theft.
- Strategic timing: No tools were left at the scene, suggesting a calculated “hit and run” operation.
“They wanted new victims”
Speaking on SKAI TV on Thursday morning, Minister Kyranakis used sharp language to describe the intent behind the act. He noted that the remote control system at that specific location had been installed recently to upgrade safety following the 2020 Tempi tragedy.
“This was pure sabotage by someone who wanted fatalities just two days before the anniversary,” Kyranakis stated. “They broke the concrete, pulled out the cables, and cut them. They gained no financial benefit; their only goal was to disable the safety systems and put human lives at risk.”
In a subsequent social media post, the Minister reassured the public that additional safety protocols (fail-safes) are now in place, which prevented the sabotage from causing an accident. He expressed full confidence that the Hellenic Police would track down those responsible for this “criminal attempt.”