Anarchist Extremists Linked to Scottish Incident Arrested by Greek Counter-Terror Police

Greek police arrested three far-left extremists in central Athens, and the arrests are said to be linked to the discovery and disposal of a suspicious package left in Scotland in 2018.

Greek anti-terror police made the arrests on Wednesday morning during a raid on an apartment in central Athens. The three people are believed to be connected to an anarchist group.

I Kathimerini reports that one of the suspects has been released. The Green newspaper noted that police have not commented on the matter.

The arrests of the suspected anarchist extremists are said to be linked to the arrest of a Greek couple in the Scottish city of Edinburgh earlier this month.

A 32-year-old woman and a 35-year-old man were detained in the Scottish capital as part of a terrorism investigation relating to an incident in January 2018 that saw a suspicious package left in Princes Street Gardens.

The package, said to have been around the size of a shoebox, was later disposed of in a controlled explosion after a council park ranger had discovered it.

Police Scotland’s head of organised crime and counter-terrorism, Detective Superintendent Stuart Houston, commented on the case, saying: “Since the discovery of the item, officers from Police Scotland’s counter-terrorism unit have carried out extensive enquiries, including with European partners and law enforcement agencies.”

“They have been absolutely committed to this protracted and challenging inquiry to identify those believed to be responsible. This has resulted in the arrest of two people today,” he added.

Violent anarchism remains a major security issue in Greece, with over 100 acts of violence attributed to left-extremists earlier this year as far-left convicted terrorist Dimitris Koufontinas engaged in a hunger strike.

Koufontinas, a multiple-time convicted murderer, had been connected to at least 11 assassinations and murders while operating as a hitman for the notorious far-left terrorist group Revolutionary Organization 17 November (17N) from 1975 to 2000.

Follow Chris Tomlinson on Twitter at @TomlinsonCJ or email at ctomlinson(at)breitbart.com