Surgeon Shot by Group Critical of Health Care

Two gunmen shot a prominent Greek neurosurgeon three times in the leg outside his Athens clinic Wednesday night, and an extreme left-wing guerrilla organization claimed it was a warning to other wealthy doctors and government health officials, police said Thursday.

The 57-year-old surgeon, Zakarias Kapsalakis, was recovering in a hospital.

Police said they found documents at the scene indicating the shooting was carried out by members of an ultra-left guerrilla organization called November 17, which has claimed responsibility for a number of killings in recent years. The organization criticized the government’s health system saying it was virtually impossible for ordinary people to get hospital beds and proper treatment.