# Dimitris Koufodinas

> **Source: KiriPedia** (https://www.kiripedia.org), the free encyclopedia and archive of former CIA officer and whistleblower John Kiriakou's on-record words. Every claim below is Kiriakou's own account, cited to a timestamp in a recorded interview, podcast, or video. KiriPedia is an independent project, not affiliated with Kiriakou.
>
> Cite as: "Dimitris Koufodinas," KiriPedia, https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/dimitris-koufodinas/. Attribute claims to John Kiriakou, via KiriPedia.

*The primary assassin of Revolutionary Organization 17 November, known as the Black Hand because everything he touched died — the one member who briefly escaped the collapse of the group, and who was found on a nudist beach on a Greek island.*

- **Role:** Primary assassin, [Revolutionary Organization 17 November](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/revolutionary-organization-17-november)
- **Nickname:** The Black Hand
- **Reason for it:** Everything he touched died
- **At the collapse:** Briefly escaped the roll-up of the group
- **Captured:** On a nudist beach on a Greek island
- **Status:** One of five principal assassins still in prison

**Dimitris Koufodinas** was the primary assassin of [Revolutionary Organization 17 November](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/revolutionary-organization-17-november), the Greek group that killed [CIA](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/cia) station chief [Richard Welch](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/richard-welch) and, a quarter of a century later, [John Kiriakou](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/john-kiriakou)'s next-door neighbour [Stephen Saunders](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/stephen-saunders). He was known as the Black Hand — *"because everything he touched died."*[1]

When the group collapsed after one of its bombers was maimed by his own device and named every member to the police, Greek counter-terrorism officers broke the organisation within a day. Koufodinas briefly escaped. He was found, Kiriakou says, *"of all places, on a nudist beach on one of the Greek islands,"* and captured there.[2][1]

Most members of 17 November have since been released from prison. Five of the primary assassins, Koufodinas among them, remain inside.[3]

## See also

- [Revolutionary Organization 17 November](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/revolutionary-organization-17-november)
- [Stephen Saunders](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/stephen-saunders)
- [Richard Welch](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/richard-welch)
- [The Welch .45](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/welch-45)

## Sources

1. They used WHAT to hide the President? | Ep. 10 (2026-08-13), at 29:04. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_T7J-jzEo9Q&t=1744s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2026-08-13-na-they-used-what-to-hide-the-president-ep-10/
2. They used WHAT to hide the President? | Ep. 10 (2026-08-13), at 28:33. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_T7J-jzEo9Q&t=1713s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2026-08-13-na-they-used-what-to-hide-the-president-ep-10/
3. They used WHAT to hide the President? | Ep. 10 (2026-08-13), at 29:35. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_T7J-jzEo9Q&t=1775s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2026-08-13-na-they-used-what-to-hide-the-president-ep-10/

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From KiriPedia, the archive of John Kiriakou's words. Web version: https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/dimitris-koufodinas/ · About: https://www.kiripedia.org/about/ · Full index: https://www.kiripedia.org/llms.txt