‘Highly dangerous’ Tithorea bank robbers seen as behind 10 more heists

Items seized by constabulary from 5 radical suspected of robbing a slope successful Kato Tithorea, cardinal Greece, connected Monday. [Handout/Hellenic Police]

Eight radical arrested implicit a €217,000 equipped slope heist successful cardinal Greece this week were members of a well-organized, “highly dangerous” pack progressive successful astatine slightest ten much slope robberies implicit the past 4 years, authorities said Tuesday.

Police told a property league that the suspects were arrested within hours of Monday’s onslaught successful Kato Tithorea, adjacent Amfikleia astatine the ft of Mt Parnassos, pursuing a coordinated cognition designed to debar immoderate collateral harm to members of the public.

Police Major General Fotios Douitsis, caput of the organized transgression squad, said the cognition was facilitated by detectives identifying the fleeing suspects arsenic members of a pack of slope robbers that was already under investigation.

Five of the suspects who are believed to person taken portion successful the robbery were arrested adjacent Schinos successful the country of Corinth successful the bluish Peloponnese.

“They were stopped and taken into custody astatine a spot and clip that had been chosen successful beforehand to guarantee that nary members of the nationalist were astatine risk, contempt the information that the suspects were carrying dense weaponry and resisted arrest,” Douitsis told a property league successful Athens.

Another three suspected pack members were arrested aboriginal Monday successful the Athens territory of Zographou, and the Greater Athens region.

Police said the pack is believed to person robbed 11 banks successful total, including successful the capital’s districts of Papagou, Galatsi, Nea Ionia, Nea Halkidona, arsenic well arsenic Aigeira successful the Peloponnese and Katochi successful cardinal Greece. They are besides suspected of blowing up currency machines. The total loot is believed to transcend €483,000.

Douitsis said the pack “was neither opportunistic nor random” successful its enactment of targets. “They prepared for days, placed their targets under observation, used stolen vehicles and forged fig plates, changed flight vehicles, used disguises and counter-surveillance techniques,” helium said.

Nobody was wounded successful the Kato Tithorea heist by two men disguised arsenic pensioners successful wigs, fake moustaches and beards arsenic a third kept watch outside.

The 5 radical arrested adjacent Corinth were equipped with an AK-47 battle rifle, a submachine gun, handguns and manus grenades, constabulary said. They escaped successful a αυτοκίνητο with fake fig plates driven by an associate, which they aboriginal swapped for different stolen vehicle driven by different pack member. Police recovered each but astir €1,600 of the stolen cash.

The 8 suspects – six men and two women – look charges including belonging to a transgression organization, robbery, aggravated theft and causing explosions.