EL.AS: Arrested leader of the “Thousands of Night Suns” organization

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A case file was filed against the 27-year-old for forming and joining a criminal organization, arson with danger to a person, damage to foreign property by fire, violation of weapons legislation and refusal to submit to fingerprinting

The lead member was identified as natural perpetrator in the arson of Real Group offices in Maroussi by placing and activating an improvised incendiary explosive device in the building it is housed in

After careful investigations by the Sub-Directorate of State Security, as part of a preliminary investigation, with the decisive contribution of the Directorate for Combating Special Violent Crimes, a 27-year-old citizen was identified as a leading member of a criminal organization, which identifies itself as “Thousands of Night Suns”.

In the context of a large-scale police operation that was organized and carried out with the aim of locating the 27-year-old, in the early hours of yesterday (22-11-2022) in the refugee homes of the Ampelokipi area, with the participation of police officers from EKAM, Sub-Directorate for the Restoration of Order and OPKE, in the presence of a representative of the Judiciary, his arrest was achieved.

A case file was filed against him for forming and joining a criminal organization, arson with danger to human beings, manufacturing and possession of explosives, damage to foreign property by fire and explosives-mechanism, violation of weapons legislation and refusal to submit to fingerprinting.

The operationally structured criminal organization, as part of its continuous action, planned and carried out in a period of two years (16-7-2020 to 13-7-2022) the following attacks in chronological order:

  1. Placement and activation of an Improvised Incendiary Explosive Device in an ATM, in the early hours of 16-7-2020 in a bank branch in Marousi, resulting in its complete destruction and damage to the store,
  2. Arson using envelopes with flammable liquid in two ATMs, in the early hours of 11-8-2020 in a bank branch in Pefki, resulting in their complete destruction,
  3. Placement and activation of three Improvised Incendiary Explosive Devices, in the early hours of 15-10-2020 at a bank branch in Galatsi, the consequence of which was causing extensive damage both to the store and to an adjacent apartment building,
  4. Placement and activation of an Improvised Incendiary Explosive Device, in the early hours of 2-7-2021 at the entrance of a car dealership in Athens, as well as setting fire to two parked vehicles in front of the store, resulting in extensive damage,
  5. Placement and activation of an Improvised Incendiary Explosive Device and failed activation of another similar device, in the early morning hours of 4-27-2022 at party offices in Pefki, which caused extensive damage to the offices and an adjacent store and
  6. Placement and activation of an Improvised Incendiary Explosive Device, in the early hours of 13-7-2022 in a building that houses media offices in Marousi, with the consequent causing of extensive damage both to the offices in question, and to the premises of a company housed in the same building. It is pointed out that the resulting fire, which extended to the third floor, endangered an employee who was trapped in her workplace on the 2nd floor, until she was freed by firefighters who rushed to the scene.

In the aforementioned case of an attack on the media’s offices, the 27-year-old was identified as the natural perpetrator together with another member of the organization at the scene, placing and detonating the above mechanism.

From the searches carried out in three houses in Prosfygika, Pefki and Agia Paraskevi, the following were found and seized, among others:

  • air pistol,
  • -3- knives,
  • pepper spray,
  • location device detection device,
  • bag containing insulating tapes, rubber cleaning gloves, absorbent cleaning cloth and candles,
  • -5- wireless
  • flag,
  • identity of another person for whom loss had been reported,
  • lots of handwritten notes,
  • barrel with liquid of unknown composition,
  • clothing that has been used in the commission of the criminal acts and
  • multitude of electronic devices and SIM cards

The arrested person was taken to the Criminal Prosecutor of Athens, while the investigations to identify the remaining members of the organization continue.

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