Felony charges filed against those arrested for the Tithorea bank robbery

The Athens First Instance Prosecutor’s Office has brought superior transgression charges against 8 radical arrested successful transportation with the robbery astatine a slope subdivision successful Kato Tithorea, Fthiotida.

The 8 suspects were brought this day (May 12) earlier the courts astatine the erstwhile Evelpidon School complex, wherever transgression prosecution was launched against them for 5 felony charges and a bid of misdemeanor offenses.

Among different things, the suspects are being prosecuted for the felonies of forming and participating successful a transgression organization, aggravated theft committed jointly, professionally, and repeatedly, repeated equipped robbery committed jointly, aggravated amerciable possession of firearms, and aggravated amerciable carrying of weapons (military rifles, grenades, etc.).

Additional charges see amerciable carrying of weapons, amerciable possession of firearms, procurement and possession of drugs for idiosyncratic use, unit against nationalist employees, and falsification of licence plates.

After the charges were filed, the defendants were brought earlier an investigating judge, from whom they are expected to petition and person further clip to hole their statements. The transportation of the suspects to the erstwhile Evelpidon tribunal analyzable took spot nether highly strict information measures, portion groups of young radical had gathered extracurricular the courts shouting slogans successful enactment of them.

How the radical operated

The group’s members had carried retired astatine slightest 10 further slope robberies. According to the probe by the Greek FBI, the suspects had antecedently struck successful Papagou, Galatsi, Nea Chalkidona, Nea Ionia, Achaia, and Aetolia-Acarnania — thing that had already placed them connected the authorities’ radar.

A 30-year-old antheral allegedly held the enactment role, organizing and coordinating the gang’s actions, portion his 26-year-old partner, with whom helium lived, allegedly acted arsenic lawman person and intermediary betwixt members.

Information suggests that the perpetrators knew each different and made their surviving chiefly done robberies. Before carrying retired attacks, they monitored their targets, with well-informed sources stating that they had antecedently visited Kato Tithorea without taking immoderate action.

According to reports, constabulary realized thing was being prepared past Saturday erstwhile they noticed 4 of those progressive moving toward the country wherever the robbery aboriginal took place. Officers from the burglary part past began discreet surveillance, portion assorted Organized Crime Directorate teams were deployed successful the area.

Police judge the suspects had timed however agelong it would instrumentality a patrol car to scope the targeted slope — 27 minutes — which is wherefore they did not unreserved to permission and alternatively remained wrong the subdivision for astir 24 minutes.

They carried dense weaponry, including Kalashnikov rifles and grenades, and are believed to person been prepared to usage them, arsenic each the weapons they carried were loaded.

For the robbery, they utilized 2 vehicles. The archetypal conveyance they utilized was abandoned without being burned truthful arsenic not to uncover their location.

The probe recovered that the gang’s “headquarters” was located successful Galatsi. All the accused reportedly gathered determination and planned their operations there. Police sources explained that they were highly cautious and moved chiefly connected foot.

After the robbery successful Kato Tithorea, officers from the Organized Crime Directorate placed the flight conveyance nether discreet surveillance and carried retired an immobilization cognition successful the Schinos country of Corinthia.

The cognition was organized successful a unafraid location, arsenic the suspects were considered highly dangerous. Despite resisting arrest, 5 individuals were detained, portion parallel searches were conducted successful homes and different locations of involvement successful Attica and different regions of the country, wherever the remaining members of the radical were found.

During the searches, authorities seized, among different things, Kalashnikov rifles, a Scorpion submachine gun, 5 grenades, 5 pistols, detonators, a bulletproof vest, fake licence plates, disguises, mobile phones, burglary tools, and a forged ID card.

At the aforesaid time, €215,345 was recovered and confiscated — astir the full magnitude stolen during the robbery successful Kato Tithorea.

So far, authorities person solved 11 slope robberies, 1 attempted ATM burglary, 11 motorcycle thefts, and 4 car thefts, portion the organization’s full fiscal summation is estimated to transcend €483,000.

See photos from the transportation of the suspects to the Evelpidon tribunal complex.