209:. They hijacked the helicopter using a pistol and hand grenade, and forced the pilot to fly to the prison. When the helicopter arrived, guards believed the helicopter was a visit from prison inspectors. The helicopter flew the prisoners to a cemetery nearby, where they transferred to motorcycles and fled from there.
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His brother Nikos
Palaiokostas was in prison for 16 bank robberies. Having been sentenced to 197 years plus 376 months imprisonment for various offences, he was released from incarceration due to poor health and began serving the rest of his sentence under house arrest, having spent 16 years behind
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by helicopter. He and his cellmate Alket Rizai, 34, climbed a rope ladder thrown to them by a female passenger in the helicopter as it flew over the prison courtyard. Guards on the ground opened fire and the woman fired back with an automatic rifle. No injuries were reported due to the short gun
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to Athens. The couple had chartered the helicopter a number of times in the previous weeks, with the woman posing as a business woman. According to the pilot, who claimed to have been forced into taking part in the escape, Palaiokostas and Rizai were delivered to a getaway car.
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The government of Greece faced intense criticism after his second escape from the same facility, and the government responded by firing three justice ministry officials and arresting three prison guards.
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Palaiokostas is still at large with a one-million euro bounty placed on him for information leading to his arrest. His accomplice Alket Rizai was re-arrested in
November 2009.
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The pilot was bound and gagged, with a hood over his head. He told police the helicopter was chartered by a couple who said they wanted to go from the town of
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Palaiokostas became famous for giving most of the stolen money to poor families, making him a local "Robin of the Poor", reminiscent of the tale of
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In 2000 he was sentenced to 25 years in prison for the 1995 kidnapping of
Alexander Haitoglou, the CEO of
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338:"Σαν σήμερα: Η 13η Σεπτεμβρίου στην Ιστορία - Πού είναι σήμερα ο Νίκος και ο Βασίλης Παλαιοκώστας;"
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while serving a 25-year sentence. He is still free, earning him the nickname "the uncatchable".
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On the afternoon of 4 June, two accomplices hired a trip on a sight-seeing helicopter from
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known as the "Greek Robin Hood" for his habit of giving away stolen money to the poor.
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fight, although one prison guard injured himself while trying to pull out his gun.
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Palaiokostas grew up in a small village in the mountains in central Greece.
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On the afternoon of 22 February, Palaiokostas again escaped from Athens'
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514:"Απόδραση-καρμπόν Παλαιοκώστα και Ριζάι από τον Κορυδαλλό με ελικόπτερο"
486:"Greek prisoner escapes from maximum security jail for the second time"
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Palaiokostas was re-captured two years later on 2 August 2008 in
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Robberies, car thefts, burglaries, kidnappings, prison escapes
278:"Greece puts €1m bounty on bank robber accused of terrorism"
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553:"Greek government criticised over prison break"
258:List of fugitives from justice who disappeared
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379:Οκτώ απαγωγές που συγκλόνισαν το πανελλήνιο
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468:"Paleokostas repeats helicopter escape"
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666:Fugitives wanted on kidnapping charges
555:. Reuters. 2009-02-23. Archived from
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376:Κουτσάμπαρης, Φώτης (11 June 2008).
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691:People from Trikala (regional unit)
661:Fugitives wanted on robbery charges
454:"Prison break repeat shocks Greece"
411:"The kidnap of Alexander Haitoglou"
363:"Police capture key Greek fugitive"
155:He wrote an autobiography entitled
436:"Industrialist's abductors nabbed"
323:"Greek helicopter fugitive caught"
126:; born 17 May 1966 at Moschofyto,
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571:"Europe's most wanted fugitives"
534:. Badass of the Week. 2009-02-21
159:, published in November 2021 by
696:People convicted of kidnapping
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336:Δεδούση, Μαρία (2022-09-13).
148:from the Greek high-security
701:People convicted of robbery
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656:Fugitives wanted by Greece
622:Palaiokostas autobiography
386:(in Greek). Archived from
304:Maysh, Jeff (2014-09-24).
27:Greek fugitive (born 1966)
616:BBC News Magazine profile
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635:Outlaws: The Good Thief
592:"Alket Rizai arrested"
573:. Europe's most wanted
532:"Vassilis Paleokostas"
205:, a coastal suburb of
637:(2023 podcast series)
559:on February 25, 2009.
179:state pentitentiary.
146:escaped by helicopter
128:Trikala regional unit
116:Vassilis Palaiokostas
84:25 years imprisonment
34:Vassilis Palaiokostas
624:(Freedom Press 2021)
124:Βασίλης Παλαιοκώστας
41:Βασίλης Παλαιοκώστας
18:Vassilis Paleokostas
618:, 25 September 2014
472:Athens News Agency
456:. BBC. 2009-02-22.
440:Athens News Agency
390:on 16 October 2013
365:. BBC. 2006-09-14.
325:. BBC. 2008-08-21.
280:. February 9, 2011
594:. GRReporter.info
306:"The Uncatchable"
226:Korydallos Prison
150:Korydallos prison
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16:(Redirected from
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629:External links
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488:. 2009-02-22.
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474:. 2009-02-22.
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157:A Normal Life
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59:(age 58)
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596:. Retrieved
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557:the original
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388:the original
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203:Agios Kosmas
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63:Moschofyto,
57:May 17, 1966
651:1966 births
220:2009 escape
197:2006 escape
135:bank robber
645:Categories
598:2011-01-18
577:2018-06-15
538:2011-01-18
499:2019-10-19
409:Ray, Rob.
394:16 October
348:2023-03-08
344:(in Greek)
264:References
184:Robin Hood
53:1966-05-17
494:0307-1235
420:14 August
384:Μακεδονία
167:Biography
144:He twice
105:1.000.000
252:See also
175:bars in
139:fugitive
67:, Greece
284:July 6,
130:) is a
65:Trikala
492:
415:Libcom
342:CNN.gr
308:. BBC.
207:Athens
177:Patras
518:in.gr
132:Greek
120:Greek
490:ISSN
422:2021
396:2013
286:2021
234:Itea
137:and
47:Born
236:in
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