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Dimitris Koufodinas

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.

Dimitris Koufodinas was the primary assassin of Revolutionary Organization 17 November, the Greek group that killed CIA station chief Richard Welch and, a quarter of a century later, John Kiriakou’s next-door neighbour 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

References

  1. John Kiriakou, 2026-08-1329:04 on YouTube · Transcript
  2. John Kiriakou, 2026-08-1328:33 on YouTube · Transcript
  3. John Kiriakou, 2026-08-1329:35 on YouTube · Transcript

Sourced from John Kiriakou's on-record public statements. See his profile for the full body of his interviews, podcast appearances, and short-form video.