Three people have been arrested following a raid on individuals thought to be linked to the far-left anarchist Popular Fighters Group (OLA) terrorist organisation.
The raids took place on Wednesday in the Greek capital of Athens with counter-terrorism police raiding four homes and a warehouse linked to members of the far-left terror group. Two men, aged 42 and 38, were taken into custody along with a 36-year-old woman.
According to a report from newspaper Kathimerini, police found 22 pounds of the explosive material gelignite in the warehouse along with detonators and other materials used in the construction of bombs. In one of the homes raided, officers found two pistols, as well.
Investigators say that at least two of the suspects are linked to prior attacks and kidnappings including the kidnapping of Greek businessman George Mylonas in 2008.
Greek Police Seize Weapons and Explosives After Raiding Antifa Squat https://t.co/spBnabCDNj
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The OLA has, according to Greek authorities, been behind several attacks since its formation in 2013 including firing a gun at the Israeli embassy in 2014 and several bombings in 2015, 2017, and 2018, including on the building that houses the Kathimerini newspaper.
Greece, along with Italy, has one of the most dangerous and violent far-left extremist scenes in Europe with bombings and attempted bombings occurring more frequently than in other European countries.
Earlier this year, two far-left extremists attempted to bomb the home of a former conservative Greek minister in the city of Thessaloniki but were caught in the act and arrested by police.
In August, Thessaloniki police raided a long-standing anarchist squat named Terra Incognita. They found containers with flammable liquids along with several improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and firecrackers taped to gas canisters.
Earlier this month, a group of anarchists in the city held a demonstration and caused damage to a local landmark before attacking police with bats and other weapons. After breaking up the crowd, police arrested 51 extremists and confiscated over two dozen weapons.
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