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Strategies & Market Trends : 2026 TeoTwawKi ... 2032 Darkest Interregnum -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Secret_Agent_Man who wrote (45298)	1/14/2009 11:33:06 AM
From: elmatador	Respond to of 217764

Copycat Somalian pirates. Forget the ships. Kidnap shipowner: abductors demand E40m, say unconfirmed reports. Panagopulos abductors demand E40m, say unconfirmed reports Nigel Lowry, Athens - Terça-feira 13 Janeiro 2009 POLICE investigating the kidnapping of leading Greek shipowner Pericles Panagopulos have refused to comment on reports that his abductors have demanded a huge ransom. Unconfirmed press reports in Greece and the UK have claimed €40m ($52.8m) is being requested for return of the 74 year old owner who is active in dry bulk shipping but has had an acclaimed career in the cruise and ferry industry. “We do not know if the kidnappers have been in touch,” a close professional colleague of Mr Panagopulos told Lloyd’s List. One story that is circulating among newsrooms of Greek newspapers chasing the story is that Mr Panagopulos’ driver, who was quickly released by the kidnappers, was told to relay the ransom demand, but this was also unconfirmed. While not ruling out other avenues of inquiry, police appear to lean towards believing the abduction is the work of a criminal gang rather than an attack by urban terrorists who included Greek shipowners and industrialists among their targets in the not-too-distant past. “There is no evidence to show that this was carried out by anybody but common criminals,” a spokesman told reporters, but emphasised that the police intended to provide little information about the investigation. The two vehicles used in the kidnapping, which took place on a road just a short distance from Mr Panagopulos’ home in the seaside Athens suburb of Kavouri, reportedly have been identified as stolen in recent weeks. The shipowner is best known in Greece as the founder of Attica Group - owner of both Superfast Ferries and stablemate ferry line Blue Star. But Mr Panagopulos sold control of the group just over a year ago for about €285m.