New Revolutionary Popular Struggle (NELA)

Revolutionary Organization 17 November (RO-N17) -- Supported Cause
Revolutionary People's Struggle -- Supported Cause

Greek police speculate, based on the discovery of sawed-off shotguns at the scene of a NELA bombing, that the group is funding itself with the proceeds of armed robberies

NELA has claimed responsibility for three bomb attacks: one against a British military cemetery in Greece (June 9, 2002), one against the office of a shipping company (June 10, 2002) and one against a Citibank branch (October 5, 2002).  NELA's name is clearly intended to declare its allegiance to the Popular Revolutionary Struggle (ELA).  ELA was the largest and most active terrorist organization in Greece prior to 1995, when it ceased to operate.  It is not know whether ELA and NELA are actually linked, but NELA clearly shares ELA's anti-capitalist, anti-globalization philosophy.

While NELA's name alludes to ELA, its choice of targets show its support for Greece's other most famous terrorist organization, 17N.  The Hellas Flying Dolphins office, NELA's second target, was the same target that 17N member Savas Xiros had tried and failed to attack less than two weeks earlier.  Xiros became the first member of 17N apprehended by police when the bomb exploded in his hands.  The initiation of NELA's bombing campaign coincided with the arrest by Greek police of many of 17N's members.  Greek police have concluded that NELA's primary purpose is to protest the arrest and trial of the members of 17N.  This theory is also supported by the fact that NELA painted 17N's emblem next to its own name at the Greek cemetery it attacked.  The group seems to plan its attacks carefully.  The Greek police concluded, based on NELA's placement of the bomb in its attack on the Hellas Flying Dolphins office, that the group knew where the building was being guarded and what the range of the security cameras was.  When NELA called to claim responsibility for the Citibank attack, it claimed that there would be more attacks in the future.