Terrorist suspects Christodoulou and Tsironis face prosecutor

Greek police arrested two suspects during a counter-terrorism raid at Nea Agialos in Volos: 44-year-old Spiros Christodoulou and 37-year-old Grigoris Tsironis. The latter had been wanted for years as one of the “robbers in black” that had worked with Marios and Simos Seisidis, two brothers who are wanted. A 600,000-euro reward was offered for the arrest of the Seisidis brothers and Tsironis following their attack at the Agia Paraskevi police station where they had been armed with Kalashnikov rifles. Both Christodoulou and Tsironis were led to the prosecutor on Saturday afternoon.

Authorities are now focused on examining the Agialos house where the arrests were made in the hope of uncovering more information that could help combat terrorism and put an end to the Group of Popular Rebels (Omada Laikon Agoniston). Three shots had been fired from within the house during the police operation before the police entered. The two suspects in custody surrendered, however claimed that the third suspect had shot himself.

Greek police reported on Saturday that the suspect killed during the raid piloted the helicopter that had been involved in the cinematic escape of notorious criminal Vassilis Paleokostas in 2006 from Korydallos Prison. The man killed was identified as Spiros Dravilas, aged 34, known by the nickname ‘Karfakias’. The same man had been implicated in a robbery carried out in Distomo in August 2014.

Police Chief Dimitris Tsaknakis confirmed that Dravilas had committed suicide upon realizing that police had surrounded the house.

The operation was carried out after the Greek counter-terrorism squad found information indicating that Vassilis Paleokostas may be involved in two seirous armed robberies recently carried out in Thessaly.

The three were found after authorities spotted Dravilas driving a Nissan Navara truck that had also been used in an armed robbery in Ambelonas, Larissa, outside a supermarket in Volos. Police then set up an undercover surveillance operation that led them to the house before they decided to move in.