Police charge pair in anarchist roundup
In a breakthrough in the country’s longstanding fight against anarchist groups, police yesterday charged two men with forming a criminal gang after allegedly catching the pair red-handed last week while trying to dump stolen police equipment. Petros Karasaradis, 40 years old, and Giorgos Kalaitzidis, 26, were arrested on Friday in connection with a recent firebomb attack by anarchists on riot police where shields, a helmet and a gas mask were also stolen. Late yesterday, police arrested a third person in connection with the theft. The 27-year-old man was allegedly leasing a bank deposit box in central Athens which police found contained 100 different-sized bullets. They all appear to be part of the «Exarcheia Anarchists Group», officers said, and part of a separate team that claimed responsibility for the theft via the internet. A search of Kalaitzidis’s home last week found four handguns and a shotgun. However, according to ballistics tests the weapons have not been used in any criminal activity. The two men, charged with forming a criminal gang, are currently in custody and could face up to 10 years if convicted of the charges.
