`Inmates caught tunnelling out of Greek prison`

Athens: Three inmates were caught trying to tunnel out of Greece`s top security prison, which is home to deadly left-wing militants and has already experienced two daring jailbreaks, an official said on Tuesday.

"An attempted escape has been foiled at Korydallos Prison and those involved have been caught," deputy justice minister George Petalotis said, praising guards for their vigilance. State television NET said the three men, a Greek and two foreigners, had dug a 10-metre hole into the prison`s basement. Guards yesterday found and confiscated rope, a winch, a hammer and a chisel, NET said.

Korydallos holds many high-profile convicts including members of the November 17 extremist organisation.

In 2009, prison authorities were left red-faced after two convicts escaped by helicopter for the second time in three years. Bank robber Vassilis Paleokostas and convicted Albanian killer Alket Rizai used a rope ladder to board the chopper that had been hijacked by accomplices.

It was a repeat performance of an airborne escape by the same pair in 2006. At the time, they were whisked out of Korydallos by another hijacked chopper that landed in the prison yard.
PTI