Police have pieced together how the firebombing that killed Vagia Nestora was planned and carried out, and who they believe was behind it, following the arrest of three suspects earlier on Friday: a 26-year-old woman and a 29-year-old man alleged to have planted the device, and a 24-year-old man who owns the apartment where the pair hid afterward.

Counterterrorism officers built the case from evidence collected in the first hours after the attack on the home of New Democracy parliamentary candidate Afroditi Nestora, whose mother died of her injuries, according to reports. The two men were arrested in Thessaloniki. The woman, already known to police, was picked up in Chania, on Crete, where she had fled straight after the attack and taken shelter at a friend’s home.

Days of surveillance before the attack

Investigators believe the woman and the 29-year-old formed the two-person team that planted the improvised incendiary device at the entrance of the building where Nestora lives, according to reports. The pair had reportedly watched the address for several days beforehand, an indication that the attack was planned with some care rather than carried out on impulse.

Once the device was in place, the two are alleged to have retreated to the apartment of the third suspect and stayed there until the following night. The woman then left for Chania, while her 29-year-old accomplice remained in the apartment until police found him.

By that point, according to reports, he was preparing to leave Thessaloniki. That, combined with the fact that the woman had already reached Crete, prompted counterterrorism officers to move in sooner than planned.

The suspects’ backgrounds

The 26-year-old’s record is what has drawn the most attention. She was convicted in 2022 over a series of arson attacks attributed to the group Anarchic Action, having been arrested after a gas canister attack on an institution in Thessaloniki. She and two others were charged at the time with membership in a terrorist organization and with involvement in dozens of attacks dating back to 2016.

The 29-year-old is reported by police sources to belong to the Council of Anarchists of Thessaloniki and had twice before been brought in for questioning by Greek authorities.

The third suspect, a 24-year-old man, owns the apartment where the other two are alleged to have hidden after the attack.