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A 23-year-old was arrested in the afternoon today after a random check of his personal data by police officers patrolling the street.

According to police sources, a hand grenade, a pistol and a pen with an embedded camera were found with him. He was with another man who escaped and the police are currently searching for him.

The initial information is about two armed men walking down the street. They were stopped for inspection near the police station in the Athens suburb Kato Kifisia.
 
According to the police, one of them presented an identity card which the policemen associated with the investigation in one of the hiding places conducted about 10 days ago, because the particular flat in the neighbourhood of Halandri was rented by a person with the same name. Police helicopter was involved in the search of the second man who escaped.
 
The police assume that the captured and the person who was with him had been shooting the police movements in the area with the mini camera.

Police sources say the two men are probably of those four wanted for involvement in the terrorist organization Conspiracy of Fire Nuclei, one of them of Albanian origin. The four wanted are defendants in the trial that began about a week ago under strict security measures.

Earlier today, the defenders of those accused of involvement in the terrorist group held a press conference. They defined the trial against their clients in the female prison in Korydallos as a parody reminiscent of the trials held during the dictatorship and the civil war.

"Imagine the policeman writing down who enters the room and the policeman making pictures of all those present. Such things happened only at trials during the junta and the civil war and were never repeated thereafter," said Yiannis Rahiotis, defender of Panagiotis Masouras.

Joanna Kurtovik, defender of Panagiotis Argirou, said that the court's insistence for writing down the data of the people present and for not recording the hearings "portends a parody trial" and "puts at risk the health of the accused, who began a hunger strike two days ago."

All defenders stated they were the only defenders of their clients and had their full confidence. The fact that they were required not to enter the courtroom did not mean denial of their defense. It was rather a protest against the unconstitutional decisions of the judicial council.
 
As for the recording of the hearings, the defenders defined the response of the Ministry of Justice as unclear and unsatisfactory. They had replied from the Ministry that "there are no money" without specifying the exact amount and why it considers it unreasonable. Moreover, "each divorce suit is usually recorded" said Costas Papadakis, defender of Alexandros Mitrousias. The defenders stated they would be forced to turn to all competent authorities as well as to individuals to raise funds for recording devices given that the Ministry of Justice can not afford them.

The defenders said also they would reserve their right to turn even to the European Court of Human Rights, stressing that their aim is the court to change its position and withdraw the contested decisions. Otherwise, the trial would end up in deadlock, said the defenders of the youths accused of involvement in terrorist organization.

The trial is expected to continue tomorrow but it is not clear whether the second official defenders would take the protection of the accused members of Conspiracy of Fire Nuclei after their colleagues’ refusal whose names are above theirs in the list of the Athens Bar Association .