Galery

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The arrest of Christodoulos Ksiros is a great success for the police and anti-terrorist forces, because it prevented a major terrorist assault against the prison where he had been incarcerated.

But later on law enforcers established that during the year, in which he was hiding from the police, ‘Manolis’ of 17^th November managed to set up a new terrorist organisation. Its participants were recruited either by Ksiros himself or hailed from the anarchist Conspiracy of Fire Cells.

The suspicions that the so-called operation ‘Gorgopotamos’ was financed by prisoners serving long sentences turned out to be fully justified. There are a number of facts showing that terrorism is like a Lernaean Hydra constantly producing fresh nuclei or affiliates.

Law enforcers are aware of that, and the satisfaction they felt after Ksiros’ arrest is now replaced by concerns over at least eight open fronts in the battle against terrorism.

1.       Ksiros’ right-hand, Angeliki; a total of 10 in his group

22-year-old Angeliki S. was probably recruited last summer and quickly rose up the group’s pecking order. The police believe she was Ksiros’ right-hand woman. Her arrest is a fairly urgent task as she allegedly is a key figure in solving the neo-terrorists’ puzzle, and particularly that of Ksiros’ group. According to authorities, apprehending her is now just a matter of time as her details are well known to the police.

Teocharis, who posed as a coast guard officer and rented the house in Anavyssos, is the second person the police are searching for. He is reportedly 30-35 years old and was involved in drug-related crime. According to police director Dimitris Tsaknakis, all ten people, involved in Ksiros’ group and slated to participate in the attack against Korydallos prison, are known to the authorities.

2.       The Popular Fighters Group – 4-8 strong, heavily armed

The Popular Fighters first surfaced in January 2013 after their first attack against the offices of New Democracy on Syngrou Avenue. Their second attack targeted the residence of the German ambassador in Halandri, and the third one was against the Mercedes-Benz offices in Varibombi. 20 days ago the Fighters fired their Kalashnikovs against the Israeli embassy. Police analysts believe they are a subsidiary organisation to Revolutionary Struggle. They have found common ideological references in their statements, as well as the use of similar methods. The Fighters are believed to comprise 4-8 people, who participated in all attacks. They possess heavy weaponry, e.g. automatic rifles, RPGs, revolvers, etc. According to the police, PFG was made up of those Revolutionary Struggle members, who are still at large.

3.       Paula Roupa, in hiding since 2012

Paula Roupa, the partner of recently jailed terrorist Nikos Maziotis, is wanted by the police, with €1 million on her head. Born in 1969 in Kalamata, she was sentenced to 50 years and 6 months for her participation in Revolutionary Struggle. Roupa has been in hiding since July 2012, when together with Maziotis she failed to appear at the police station in Exarcheia as demanded by their restrictive measure.

When Maziotis was arrested, it transpired that the two of them, together with their four-year-old son, had lived in a Pefki flat, but Roupa had already disappeared. A few published photos show her with a changed appearance – slimmer, with close-cropped false blond hair. She is most likely in hiding with second-rate Revolutionary Struggle members, some of whom might have participated in some of the organisation's actions.

4.       The Distomo gangsters, having a rich past

In the showy bank robbery in Distomo, which is attributed to Maziotis’ accomplices, the perpetrators, according to police, were 34 year-old Georgios Petrakakos, 44-year-old Spiros Christodoulos and Spiros Dravilas, 33. Petrakakos is considered the closest accomplice of Maziotis. He has been on the search list 4 years now. He was also an accomplice of Vassilis Paleokostas in the kidnapping of the businessman Georgios Milonas. Dravilas was sentenced to 17 years in 2009 for complicity in Paleokostas’ prison break by helicopter, the first of its kind. Christodoulos has been involved in robberies since the mid-1990s. He was arrested and escaped from jail. The last few years, the 44-year-old criminal has reportedly been based in Nafplio. The police has proven he had been involved in the April 2011 Edipsos bank robbery, where armed bandits stole 430,000 euros.

5.       The cold-blooded killers of the Golden Dawn members

Two people were involved in the murder of two Golden Dawn members on 1 November 2013, in Neo Iraklio: a cold-blooded executioner with a strange gait and a motorcyclist. They haven't been identified yet. There are abundant rumours about who the killers might be. The responsibility back then was taken by a hitherto unknown organisation calling itself The Fighting People's Revolutionary Powers.

6.       The Phoenix plan. Conspiracy of Fire Cells members who are still at large

The Conspiracy of Fire Cells is just about the only terrorist organisation showing strong capacity in recruiting new members. Many of its older members are doing time in Korydallos jail. Others are either amid trial proceedings or released on bail. In the summer of 2013, Conspiracy of Fire Cells announced a plan under the symbolic name of Phoenix. The organisation has been frozen for a while as it was crippled by a number of arrests carried out by the police. Those of its members who are still at large have probably joined Ksiros’ group while maintaining their ties with the other terrorist organisations. A 35-year-old conspiracy member known under the initials P.A. has been hunted for two years now. He is the owner of the hideout car in Exarcheia, in which police found automatic rifles and grenades.

7.       Vassilis Paleokostas, the master of escape

Paleokostas is a mythical figure. In his native region of Trikala, which he knows like the back of his hand, he has been moving easily with the help of locals. In 2011, according to police, his fingerprints were found on a parcel-bomb, which blew up in the office of Michalis Chrysochoidis, then Minister for Citizen Protection, and which killed his junior minister.

8.       Paleo Faliro; Kostas Sakkas’ hideout

The case of the weapons cache found in a stolen car in Paleo Faliro is still open. Law enforcers believe this is Maziotis’ hideout, but this has yet to be proven. The stolen Opel Astra, containing an RPG, four rockets, three Kalashnikov assault rifles as well as scores of ammunition and hand grenades, was under surveillance by the counterterrorism police for a while, but no one cropped up. Another mystery is Kostas Sakkas who disappeared in breach of his bail. Although he was a suspect, his participation in any kind of terrorist action has not yet been proven.