A contract sergeant with a 22-year (!) service, serving in the 2nd Airborne Squadron of Aspropyrgos (a suburb of Athens), threw grenades and machine-gunned his commander’s car, and then took him hostage.
According to initial information, he used blank cartridges, but, according to new information, he fired live ammunition at the tires of the commander’s car. The incident began with the fact that the contract sergeant (Μόνιμοι Επαγγελματίες Οπλίτες -ΕΠ.ΟΠ.) became angry with the unit commander, because he was dissatisfied with the penalty imposed on him. The commander of the unit allegedly put pressure on his subordinates due to fires and increased patrols, which led to a mutiny. The sergeant threw a light-noise grenade at the unit’s command post, burst in and took the commander hostage, whom he threatened to kill. The incident ended an hour later, thanks to the intervention of the military police, who detained the rebel.
It is noted that such incidents occur mainly in areas of high military tension, where combatants lose their nerves, for example, in Vietnam, the Persian Gulf, Ukraine, etc.
The question arises why the Greek paratrooper went so far as to take such actions against his commander. And, of course, the general context of personal relationships between officers and non-commissioned officers of the unit and other personnel must be explored.
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