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Greece arrests three over explosion that killed six people in Athens

Reuters

ATHENS, Oct 30 (Reuters) - ‌Greece has arrested two Greek men and an ​Albanian ‌national suspected of stealing copper ‌gas pipes from a building, causing a leak that led ‌to a deadly explosion in central Athens last month, authorities said.

Six people were killed during the ⁠September 25 blast in ‌the tourist district of ⁠Plaka, four Americans among them.

Following ​an investigation, experts with the fire brigade's crime investigation unit ​concluded that hours before ​the ‌blast the suspects damaged the two-storey ​building's main natural gas ⁠supply infrastructure as ‌they removed the ​copper pipe ​parts, fire brigade officials said late on Thursday.

The explosion occurred early in the morning when one ‌of the residents turned the light on.

The suspects are ‌expected ​to appear before a prosecutor on Friday.

(Reporting by Yannis Souliotis and Angeliki Koutantou; Writing by Renee ‌Maltezou; Editing by Alison Williams)