Suspense about the hideout with the explosives

The antiterrorist unit is thinking of the possibility of releasing the fake IDs found in the Vironas and Tavros apartments, to gather information about other suspicious houses.

It is almost certain that the central hideout has not been discovered yet and given that there are other members at large, then the main priority is to find the apartment with the explosives as the fear of a new hit is more than tangible.

«As long as the hideout with the explosives is not found, the new hit scenarion remains open. The first day of the trial showed that the situation is very tense and authorities must be extra careful in all their actions for the prevention of a possible hit» said an antiterrorist officer to protothema.gr.

The results from the analysis on the four mobile phones have not yet been announced, and this makes the investigation more difficult.

«If we get a chance to see who they were talking to, we can have a picture of the specific group in Thessaloniki. The forensic laboratories are working feverishly to make use of all the evidence discovered in the Vironas and Tavros apartments. But it will take a long time» a police officer said.

Meanwhile, the two wanted men remain at large. Aged between 35-40, one played the role of a link with other organisations and the other of recruiter. They have both disappeared and through the evidence, officers are trying to get back on their track.

The officers were impressed by the information on judges gathered by the arrested 4, mainly in Thessaloniki. It seems they had been  watching them for a while and collected snapshots of their everyday lives, knowing their moves, their routes and even if they have guards or not. «It is more than likely they were planning hits against members of the judiciary. Therefore we assign protection mainly to them» said a source from the ministry of Citizen Protection.
 
In Koridalos

The trial of the individuals prosecuted for connections with the «Cores of Fire» has many similarities but also many differences with those of «17N» and «ELA».

9 of the accused, 23-30yo, will take the stand, six of whom are temporarily detained and three free under restrictive conditions.

The six are: Charilaos, Chatzimichelakis, Giorgos Karagiannidis, Alexandros Mitrousias, Panagiotis Masouras, Panagiotis Argirou and Konstantina Karakatsani. The three still free: Manolis Giospas, Nikos Vogiatzakis and Errikos Rallis. Four more people are being tried with them, who have been wanted by the authorities: Christos Tsakalos, Damiano Bolano and brothers Giorgos and Michalis Nikolopoulos.

According to the indictment, the thirteen are charged with the offenses of participation in a terrorist organization and procurement, manufacturing and possession of explosives. The file refers to the bombings of the organization, at the house of former vice minister of Public Order P. Chinofotis, in the office of minister –then MP – Luca Katseli and outside the offices of the ministry of Macedonia-Thrace.
 
Unprecedented tension

At the start of the trial the atmosphere was highly tense, with the majority of the accused taking the stand and asking for the removal of the police officers who, according to them, were attending in plain clothes.

Also, they asked for a simple showing of IDs for the attendees and not its retainment by the officers at the entrance.

It should be noted that 24hrs before the trial, the organization threatened the members of the court.

The tension in the room and the stance of some of the accused towards the court can be illustrated in the words of the accused Chatzimechelakis who, addressing the judge when she reproached some women in the court, shouted: « Really? Shame on you, judge in an empty room now». The court quickly adjourned.

During the entire process, friends of the accused were continually intervening either to protest or comment on those who participate in the trial!

The presiding judge tried to keep the balances but when the accused left the room protesting on the issue of the IDs, she appeared more flexible in an attempt to defuse the tension.
 
Measures and objections

The security measures were draconian and reminiscent of the setting in the 17N and ELA trials. But inside the room the officers had literally surrounded the accused who, upon entering, wore handcuffs, which were then removed.

Friends and relatives were shouting encouragement and every chance they got, they yelled mottos like «SS cops and judges» and «the passion for freedom is stronger than any cell».

From the standpoint of the defense lawyers, the objections fell like rain on key procedural issues that concerned the recording process and the retention of IDs at the entrance and return to their owners upon their exit from the room.

On this last issue, the defense attorneys stressed that this did not happen in the ELA and 17N trials. They accused the officers of not only keeping the IDs but also copying them. The court decided to justify the retention by saying that the trial is in the vicinity of a prison, causing a storm of protest and the withdrawal of the accused. The matter was brought back by the defense, just like that of the taping of the trial. The court undertook to find an answer to these two issues and the trial will continue next Monday.