The fourth suspect arrested in connection with the deadly gas canister attack in Thessaloniki — which claimed the life of Vagia Nestora — has invoked his right to silence. The 25-year-old, who is scheduled to appear before the examining magistrate on Monday (20/7), is known to authorities, while the Anti-Terrorism Unit is intensifying its investigation to identify the mastermind behind the attacks.
Read also: Nestora’s murder reaches the State Department: Marco Rubio addresses the deadly arson attack in Thessaloniki — “She was killed with a Molotov cocktail because her daughter dared to run for office” (Video)
The 25-year-old refused to cooperate with authorities
The 25-year-old was escorted by members of the Anti-Terrorism Unit to the Thessaloniki Court of Justice for the execution of the arrest warrant issued against him, after which he was brought before the examining magistrate handling the case file. He refused to cooperate with authorities at every stage, exercising his right to remain silent.
Following standard procedure, he was first brought before the prosecutor and then before the examining magistrate to activate the arrest warrant. The charges he will face at his hearing on Monday (20/7) at 10:00 a.m. cover five felony counts: membership in a terrorist organization, murder with reckless intent (both completed and attempted), explosion, arson, and violation of the firearms and explosives law. The joint case file was compiled by Anti-Terrorism Unit officers. On two separate occasions, unit members attempted to take his statement, but the 25-year-old refused to cooperate and reportedly declined to provide even his fingerprints. Authorities tracked him down yesterday morning by executing an arrest warrant issued by the third regular examining magistrate handling the case — the same magistrate before whom the 24-year-old, one of the three other defendants in the case, had already testified.
The 24-year-old’s statement about the 25-year-old in his defense brief
According to information from ERT (Greek public broadcaster), the 24-year-old states in his defense brief that he personally handed the keys to the 25-year-old. The two met at a café in central Thessaloniki on the evening of June 26th, where he handed over the keys so that the 25-year-old could pass them on to a friend of his — believed to be the 29-year-old suspect. The friend needed a place to stay because he had nowhere to sleep. According to the 24-year-old’s defense brief, the 25-year-old’s friend simply needed temporary accommodation. The 24-year-old informed him that the apartment had been repossessed by a bank and had no electricity, to which the friend reportedly replied that this was not a problem and that he only needed to stay for a few nights. This apartment appears to have served as a base and hideout for the 29-year-old and the 26-year-old who planted the deadly incendiary device at the home of Aphrodite Nestora. The two properties are just 200 meters apart.
The 25-year-old is known to authorities
The 25-year-old is a member of the anti-authoritarian movement and is well known to law enforcement. A search of his home in the Ano Poli district of Thessaloniki conducted by Anti-Terrorism Unit officers yielded no significant evidence to advance the investigation. He is a member of the anarchist council of Thessaloniki, which explains why a group of anti-authoritarian activists gathered outside the courthouse today in a show of solidarity when he was brought in before the examining magistrate. Notably, when the 26-year-old and the 29-year-old were brought in last Tuesday, the 25-year-old was among those staging a protest demonstration outside the courthouse. According to journalist Despoina Kritikos, the 25-year-old took steps to dispose of his mobile phone, apparently aware that his arrest was imminent.
The Anti-Terrorism Unit is searching for the mastermind behind the attacks
Authorities are continuing their investigation to identify three other perpetrators who are suspected of having placed incendiary gas canisters at the homes of Zisis Ioakimovits and Savvas Anastasiadis. Anti-Terrorism Unit officers are now convinced that in addition to the direct perpetrators, there is also a mastermind who orchestrated the attacks — and according to investigators’ assessment, the same individual is believed to be behind all three incidents.
The U.S. State Department’s reference to the murder of Vagia Nestora
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio referenced the murder of Vagia Nestora during a State Department event on the “Resurgence of Political Terrorism.” Without naming her directly, the American Secretary of State spoke of the case of a 72-year-old woman in Greece who, as he described, suffered burns to over 80% of her body inside her own home and died following a Molotov cocktail attack. “You came here, you are here, because two weeks ago a 72-year-old woman died from burns covering more than 80% of her body, inside her own home in Greece. She was executed in a Molotov cocktail attack because her daughter dared to run for office,” he said.
