Anarchist cleared of terror link over gun
A veteran anarchist was given a suspended 10-month sentence yesterday for possession of a submachine gun, which he had been accused of acquiring in order to arm a terrorist group. A Thessaloniki court found Grigoris Tsilimantos guilty of illegal firearms possession, but cleared him of any link with terrorist groups. Tsilimantos, whose sentence will be suspended for three years, was arrested in November 1998 when a raid on his flat turned up the submachine gun, as well as Revolutionary Popular Struggle (ELA) pamphlets. His arrest came four years before November 17 was broken, at a time when counterterrorism authorities were desperate for leads. Officials are believed to have rigged the gun – which Tsilimantis said he wanted for his protection – with tracking devices and floated it through a tame criminal in the hope of catching terrorists.
