Greek politician's mother dies of wounds after arson attack

Greek politician's mother dies of wounds after arson attackImage source, AFP via Getty ImagesByPaul KirbyPublished1 July 2026, 18:56 BSTUpdated 10 minutes agoThe mother of a politician from Greece's ruling New Democracy party has died of injuries sustained in one of a series of suspected arson attacks targeting party officials.Vagia Nestora, 72, suffered extensive burns and multiple organ failure, according to the hospital where she was taken in the northern city of Thessaloniki.She was wounded in an explosion and fire at the apartment building where her daughter, Afroditi Nestora, lives.Three separate attacks involving petrol bombs and other improvised devices took place within minutes of each other in Thessaloniki in the early hours of Wednesday.Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Vagia Nestora's death had exposed the "murderous and inhumane nature" of political violence and called for a united response to "banish terrorism to... the margins".Earlier, he said those who had carried out such attacks under the guise of social struggle were "nothing more than criminals, they will be treated as such".Hospital officials said Vagia Nestora had been admitted in a critical condition with burns covering about 80% of her body and she died later despite receiving intensive care treatment.Her daughter, a party candidate, also suffered burns and smoke inhalation and remains in hospital. Afroditi Nestora's father, who has underlying health problems, and two other residents were also admitted after suffering breathing difficulties.Police said improvised incendiary devices had been placed outside the apartment building, triggering the explosion and fire. The blast destroyed two cars, damaged several motorcycles and caused extensive damage to the building.The two other attacks targeted the homes of Zisis Ioakeimovits, chairman of New Democracy's Thessaloniki administrative committee, and former New Democracy MP Savvas Anast...