Arson trail warms for authorities
Authorities have a man from eastern Attica under surveillance after testimony from witnesses to the forest fire there two weeks ago led police to suspect that he may have set the blaze on purpose, sources told Kathimerini yesterday. The suspect is aged between 35 and 40 years old and lives in one of the seaside areas east of Athens, near where the blaze took place. After police officers and investigators from a fire brigade division that deals with cases of arson cross-referenced their information, they realized that a lot of testimonies pointed to a man of the same description. After inquiries in the area, authorities narrowed their focus to the man in question. Some witnesses are convinced they saw him behaving suspiciously at the site of the fire before it started. The fire flared up on multiple fronts, burning an estimated 750 hectares and making it one of the most destructive blazes ever seen in Attica. Authorities have maintained it was the work of arsonists and the government last week offered up to 100,000 euros as a reward for information leading to an arrest.