Authorities on Friday arrested a 25-year-old man in connection with the ongoing and high-profile investigation into the coordinated incendiary attacks targeting the homes of New Democracy officials in Thessaloniki earlier this month, as the counterterrorism investigation continues to widen.
The suspect, described by police as being active in the so-called “anti-authoritarian/anti-state” movement and previously known to law enforcement, was taken into custody after appearing before an investigating magistrate. A search of his residence in the Ano Poli district of Thessaloniki reportedly failed to uncover evidence considered significant to the investigation.
The 25-year-old has also been described as an alleged member of Thessaloniki’s “anarchist council”. A small group of supporters gathered outside the city’s courthouse during his court appearance in a show of solidarity.
According to public broadcaster ERT, the suspect had joined a protest outside the courthouse last Tuesday when a 26-year-old woman and a 29-year-old man, who were arrested earlier in the investigation, were brought before judicial authorities. The broadcaster also reported that the 25-year-old discarded his mobile phone after realizing his arrest was imminent.
Authorities are meanwhile continuing efforts to identify three additional suspects believed to have planted improvised incendiary devices at the homes of Zisis Ioakeimovits, the president of New Democracy’s Thessaloniki administrative committee, and former lawmaker Savvas Anastasiadis.
Investigators also believe the attacks were not solely the work of the individuals who carried them out. According to police assessments, a sole ringleader may have planned and directed all three coordinated attacks, a theory that remains central to the ongoing counterterrorism investigation.
The arrests mark the latest development in the probe into the predawn attacks of July 1, which targeted three New Democracy figures within minutes of each other.
The most serious assault set off a blaze outside the home of former parliamentary candidate Afroditi Nestora, killing her mother after she suffered extensive burns and injuring four other people. Counterterrorism officers have since focused their investigation on individuals linked to Thessaloniki’s anti-authoritarian milieu, examining surveillance footage, forensic evidence and communications data as they seek to establish the full network behind the attacks and determine whether additional accomplices provided logistical support or operational planning.
