Abducted shipowner freed

Well-known local shipping executive Pericles Panagopoulos, kidnapped more than a week ago outside his southeast Athens home, was found unharmed in the early morning hours Tuesday after his family reportedly paid a huge ransom.

Panagopoulos, 74, was spotted by the crew of a police patrol car sitting on a park bench outside a rest stop on the outskirts of western industrial Athens. Earlier, the shipping magnate's wife had reportedly left a large cache of euros at a designated spot on the Athens-Lamia highway, north of the capital.

He was later taken to his home in an exclusive seaside district where his family and personal doctor awaited, as reports over the past days noted that he suffers from a heart condition.

Source: ANA-MPA