Greek far-left extremist denied 7th furlough from prison A Greek council of judges has refused a new furlough for a convicted far-left extremist serving multiple life sentences for a string of assassinations

ATHENS, Greece -- Greek judges have refused a new furlough for a convicted far-left extremist serving multiple life sentences for a string of assassinations.

In its reasoning issued Wednesday, the council in the central town of Volos ruled that 61-year-old Dimitris Koufodinas still poses a danger to society and could commit new crimes were he granted a furlough.

Koufodinas was the main hit man for the November 17 group, which killed 23 people, including Western diplomats between 1975 and 2000. He was arrested in 2002, convicted of terrorism and given 11 life sentences.

Nevertheless, since late 2017 Koufodinas has been granted six furloughs, and transferred from a maximum-security Athens prison to a penitentiary near Volos, where inmates have greater freedom of movement.

This sparked protests from relatives of his victims, and U.S. officials.