Greek Police have been on high alert since yesterday (25/2) afternoon following a sabotage incident that likely occurred during those hours at railway installations in the Imathia region. As Deputy Transport Minister Konstantinos Kyranakis revealed, the perpetrators who attempted and essentially cut the installation of special railway cables that supply the remote control system of the Athens-Thessaloniki line, did not intend to steal but to potentially cause a new disaster.
Greek FBI branch in Thessaloniki takes over sabotage investigation
Since yesterday, railway officials have also been on corresponding alert status, as soon as they realized the damage and inability of the critical system to function, they went directly to Moschato Police Station submitting a relevant criminal complaint against all responsible parties, as destruction of the installation was confirmed. Specifically, technical teams rushed early and found that both the cables, the metal rail and the cement protection had been destroyed by human hand. Not with the purpose of stealing metallic elements, a phenomenon that is common anyway, but simply for destruction, since it was found that no elements that could be sold for scrap had been stolen.
Communication between police forces was immediate, with the matter reaching the Imathia Police Directorate, which in turn communicated the written complaint to the Northern Greece Organized Crime Unit, the branch of the so-called “Greek FBI” in Thessaloniki.
Difficult identification process
Investigations have already begun to identify the perpetrators, a process estimated to be quite difficult, as the location where the installation was essentially cut at three different points is remote and deserted. Nevertheless, authorities have collected material that will be sent to Criminological Laboratories to determine if genetic material or fingerprints can be recovered.
At the same time, testimonies are being taken, with authorities listening with particular attention to what the technical supervisors of the railways have to contribute. As sources from parapolitika.gr report, they have conveyed what the technical team saw when they arrived at the site for repairs: Destroyed cement protection, possibly through some relevant tool, cut cables and damage to the metal protection rail, without any critical element of the installation being missing from the site.
The investigations will continue and it is not excluded that soon a picture will emerge of who moved towards this point, something expected to be accomplished with the planned expansion of the investigation field, for several kilometers in all directions.
Prosecutorial investigation into the incident
Indeed, the sabotage incident on the remote control system of the Athens-Thessaloniki line caused prosecutor intervention. Specifically, the head of the Thessaloniki Court of Appeals Prosecutor’s Office, Leonidas Nikolopoulos ordered a preliminary investigation, requesting verification of the commission of punishable acts of felony character, identification of those responsible and briefing on the results of the criminal investigation.
“Criminal groups and sick minds seek a new tragedy 2 days before Tempi anniversary” – What Konstantinos Kyranakis told Parapolitika 90.1
Earlier, on Parapolitika 90.1 and the show “Apenanti Mikrofona,” with Sotiris Xenakis and Vasilis Skouris, Deputy Transport Minister Konstantinos Kyranakis spoke on Thursday morning, after his complaint about sabotage to the remote control system of the Athens-Thessaloniki railway line, just before Platy Imathias, noting that unknown persons, two days before the Tempi anniversary, broke concrete structures and cut cables, causing disruption of remote control. As he had characteristically stated earlier, “some wanted new Tempi,” while speaking to Parapolitika he emphasized that “this is criminal action, what they wanted was to endanger human lives.”
He spoke of criminal action with the clear aim of endangering human lives, just two days before the anniversary of the Tempi tragedy. “This is criminal action, what they wanted was to endanger human lives,” he noted characteristically on Parapolitika 90.1. He also emphasized that there was no motive for financial gain, as no material was removed, but instead damage was caused to the installations and the perpetrators left. “There was no purpose of financial gain, but for lives.”
As he explained, to cut the cables required breaking concrete protective barriers, a fact that, as he said, demonstrates intent to cause serious danger. There are no cameras at the site, while the problem was realized when remote control was put out of operation.
Two days before the anniversary, some wanted new Tempi.
At a point on the Athens-Thessaloniki axis with functional remote control and cables protected under cement, yesterday afternoon we had a very serious incident. The perpetrators broke the cement, removed the cables from… pic.twitter.com/DCzGoy23eF
— kyranakis (@kyranakis) February 26, 2026
