German woman, 27, arrested in ongoing urban terrorism probe

A German woman, 27, was arrested by the anti-terrorist squad on Friday, a development linked to the arrest for four local men on urban terrorism-related charges in two separate Athens locations a day earlier.

According to police, the woman is the daughter of a 55-year-old former “Red Army Faction” (RAF) operative, who herself was the subject of a 1993 international warrant by German authorities for participation in the ultra-leftist terror group.

Police said the woman had contacts with all four of the suspects. The latter were identified as Haralambos Tsilianidis, 23, Dimitrios Fessas, 23, Dimitrios Dimtsiadis, 23, and Socrates Tzifkas, 21.

An assault rifle and an automatic handgun, along with ammunition, were recovered from two Athens residences searched by the police.

Hours later, a local prosecutor filed felony charges against the five. According to reports, the five suspects were brought before the prosecutor without attorneys, while they refused to make any statement in the prosecutor’s office. Only the German national requested to contact an attorney.  

Charges include the establishment of a terrorist organisation and weapons possession

The German mother of the 27-year-old arrested in Athens had surrendered to Lebanese authorities in 1999.