A separate arson attack carried out on the day of the deadly 2010 Marfin bank fire played a crucial role in helping Greek authorities identify suspects in one of the country’s most notorious unsolved crimes, according to new details emerging from the investigation.
The renewed probe, which led to arrest warrants for two 42-year-old men and a 46-year-old woman, combined three strands of evidence: newly examined photographs from the day of the attack, digital material seized during unrelated investigations in 2020, and evidence from another arson attack carried out hours later in central Athens that investigators believe involved the same group.
Authorities say all three suspects are linked to the anti-authoritarian movement.
Three lines of investigation
According to the investigation, detectives re-examined eyewitness testimony and conducted a fresh forensic analysis of digital material using modern technology, including artificial intelligence.
Investigators compared newly recovered photographic evidence with images and electronic files obtained during searches of the homes and computers of anti-authoritarian activists in 2020. The analysis reportedly enabled forensic experts to confidently identify several suspects, including one of the arrested men, who is believed to have played a prominent role in the attack.
Authorities also say they have identified two or three additional people who were present with the group but for whom they do not yet have sufficient evidence to pursue charges.
A second attack on the same day
A significant breakthrough came from evidence linked to another arson attack carried out on the same day at a government building on Amalias Avenue in central Athens.
Investigators believe the same individuals participated in both incidents. According to the findings, members of the group carried out additional arson attacks after the Marfin fire, apparently unaware of the deadly consequences of the bank attack. Authorities also say photographic evidence shows the suspects vacationing together at a Greek seaside destination just days later.
Fourth attempt to solve the case
The latest investigation is described as the fourth and most comprehensive effort to solve the Marfin case, this time led by Greece’s Organized Crime Directorate. Previous investigations either failed to reach completion or resulted in the acquittal of suspects due to insufficient evidence.
The Marfin attack took place on May 5, 2010, during a mass protest against austerity measures ahead of a parliamentary vote. Attackers threw Molotov cocktails and flammable material into a bank branch in central Athens, trapping employees inside.
Three bank workers died from smoke inhalation: 32-year-old Angeliki Papathanasopoulou, who was four months pregnant, 36-year-old Epameinondas Tsakalis and 35-year-old Paraskevi Zoulia.
In 2013, senior bank officials were convicted over failures related to fire safety measures and staff protection at the building.
Technology revisits old evidence
The case had remained unresolved for years despite multiple investigations. Authorities have now re-examined the full archive of photographs from the day of the attack and used artificial intelligence tools to analyze the movements and physical characteristics of the suspects across different sets of visual evidence.
The findings formed part of the evidence that ultimately led to the latest arrest warrants, while the investigation into the remaining individuals believed to have participated in the attack is continuing.
