Greek Police Arrest Terror Suspects

ATHENS, Greece -- Greek police said today they had arrested three leading members of a homegrown terror group responsible for a spree of attacks last year, including a mail bomb campaign that spilled into neighboring European states.

The three suspects -- all men between the ages of 24 and 32 -- had been wanted for almost a year, since a crackdown on the Conspiracy of the Cells of Fire, a mob of militant anti-capitalists who have evaded police since 2008.

From left, Christos Tsakalos, Giorgos Nikolopoulos and Bolano Ntamiano.

Greek Police / AP

Police say Christos Tsakalos, left, Giorgos Nikolopoulos and Bolano Ntamiano are leading members of Greek terror group Conspiracy of the Cells of Fire.

The suspects were arrested in a predawn dragnet launched in Volos, Greece, before swooping 200 miles (326 kilometers) south to Athens. In all, six terror suspects -- five men and a 27-year-old woman -- were arrested in a rash of raids that turned up a stash of weapons, ammunition, and even wigs and police uniforms.

Authorities said "hit notes" were also found in the Volos safe house where Giorgos Nikolopoulos, 25, Bolano Ntamiano, 24, and Christos Tsakalos, 32, were believed to be preparing a bank heist to fund the operation of their group, commonly known by its Greek acronym, SPF.

"We're convinced that these guys played a leading role in the group," police spokesman Athanassios Kokkalakis told AOL News. "We're waiting for the ballistic tests on the guns found at the 11 safe houses to determine the role of the rest [of the suspects]."

Kokkalakis did not elaborate but added that a second woman detained in today's dragnet was released for lack of incriminating evidence.

All of the suspects are due to appear before a state prosecutor on Tuesday.

Since bursting onto Greece's turbulent political scene in 2008, SPF has been linked to about 200 bomb attacks, one of which resulted in the death of a bystander in March 2009.

SPF went silent for months after that but made a stunning comeback in November when it was linked to a barrage of parcel bombs against diplomatic missions in Greece and three European leaders.

Most of the 14 bombs were detected and destroyed, but one managed to reach the mail room of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, inspiring Italy's Informal Anarchist Federation, or FAI, to pursue a copycat campaign weeks later.

One of the bombers who was caught is the younger sibling of Tsakalos, who was arrested today.

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Earlier this year, 13 suspects linked to the group went on trial charged with terrorism counts related to a series of attacks on Greek politicians, none of which caused fatalities or serious injuries.

The trial, expected to run for months, is seen as a critical stage in Greece's anti-terrorism efforts. If convicted, they may face up to life imprisonment.

Left-wing terror and anarchy riddled much of Europe in the 1970s and 1980s. But as political violence fizzled in the later decades, it continued to simmer in Greece, gaining fresh appeal -- and new recruits -- after violent student protests resulting from the killing of a teenage boy in 2008 by the police.