Sixteen years after the crime at Marfin, the perpetrators remain unidentified: Anonymous, at large & unpunished

On May 5, 2010, 3 days earlier the ballot connected the archetypal memorandum, 3 employees of the Marfin bank connected Stadiou Street—Angeliki Papathanassopoulou, who was pregnant with her archetypal child, Epameinondas Tsakalis, and Paraskevi Zoulia—lost their lives successful a occurrence caused by so-called “hooded” attackers.

The perpetrators had infiltrated the ample protestation gathering against the measures that had been announced a fewer days earlier. They threw Molotov cocktails adjacent though determination were employees wrong the branch, and they knew that their actions were putting lives successful contiguous danger.

More than 20 radical were wrong the neoclassical gathering astatine the clip of the arson attack—which proved to beryllium fatal—with 4 of them losing their lives owed to the occurrence caused by the killers’ Molotov cocktails. Sixteen years later, the perpetrators stay “hooded”: Anonymous, astatine large, and unpunished.

Despite archetypal optimism that the perpetrators would rapidly beryllium brought to justice, this has inactive not happened. Police officers of the Hellenic Police (ELAS), who are studying the grounds and information gathered some during the captious hours and successful the probe that followed, present reason that 4 captious mistakes were made, which resulted successful the probe failing to scope a conclusion.

At the aforesaid time, the nonaccomplishment to apprehension the perpetrators fueled theories that down the onslaught were concealed services oregon para-state mechanisms aiming to halt the protests and frighten nationalist opinion.

The 4 gaps successful the investigation:

Insufficient camera footage: Police collected worldly from information cameras lone from a fewer shops adjacent to the branch. Experienced officers told protothema.gr that this was a spread that outgo the probe dearly, arsenic important grounds was lost. In specified cases, authorities usually stitchery footage on the full way of the suspects, successful bid to place the infinitesimal erstwhile the perpetrator oregon perpetrators marque a mistake oregon astatine slightest uncover a hint that advances the case. This was not done, and the State Security work did not adjacent petition footage from the metro presumption cameras.

The Marfin–Ianos mix-up: State Security sent to tribunal individuals who had thing to bash with the Marfin arson, but were linked to the onslaught connected the Ianos bookstore straight opposite, which occurred astir simultaneously. In elemental terms, the officers progressive failed to recognize and papers who participated successful what, sending the lawsuit record successful a wholly incorrect absorption and giving the perpetrators further time.

Lack of coordination among cardinal services that could person assisted the investigation: The lawsuit record was handled by State Security, arsenic ELAS believed the deadly onslaught was carried retired by individuals from the anarchist milieu; however, determination was nary assistance from the Anti-Terrorism Unit astatine the investigative level, which could person helped cod captious evidence. Likewise, the National Intelligence Service (EYP-NIS), contempt the information that 3 radical mislaid their lives successful a protestation owed to transgression actions, did not play the relation 1 mightiness expect successful the case, specified arsenic gathering accusation connected individuals and their movements earlier and aft the fatal arson.

Failure to assistance telephone confidentiality connected the time of the attack: If the lifting of telephone confidentiality had been requested for the captious hours earlier and aft the deadly arson, State Security could, done investigation of mobile telephone antennas, person determined who was where, either excluding individuals from suspicion oregon starring investigators to radical not antecedently considered involved. Instead, the probe proceeded blindly, with the known results.

Where are the perpetrators?
Sixteen years later, the perpetrators stay free, and for ELAS the lawsuit remains an unfastened section that indispensable beryllium closed by bringing those liable to justice.

According to the police, the Marfin arson onslaught was an organized program by “hooded” individuals belonging to the alleged anarchist side, who—due to a concatenation of constabulary errors—remain astatine large, with immoderate attempting to region themselves from the milieu that orchestrated the attack, and each of the existent perpetrators keeping silent.