Copper Theft Worth $23 Led to Athens Blast That Killed 4 Americans, Police Say. Three Men Are Jailed.
Three men accused of setting off a deadly gas explosion while stealing copper piping worth about $23 have been jailed pending trial. The blast killed six people, four of them American tourists, in the heart of Athens' most visited neighborhood. The case has shocked Greece, where tourism drives the economy and Plaka, the old quarter below the Acropolis, is among the most visited areas. It has also raised questions beyond the three suspects. Victims' families are pressing authorities to explain how a small theft in an old building could lead to a fatal explosion, and whether gas safety chec