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The brothers George and Michalis Nikolopoulos, the Albanian citizen Damiano Bollano, aged 24, and Gerasimos Tsakalos, aged 33, have been sentenced in their absence for involvement in the terrorist group "Conspiracy of Fire Nuclei". Police captured last March George Nikolopoulos, Bollano and Tsakalos in the metropolitan district of Nea Ionia. George’s brother, Nikos Nikolopoulos, aged 23, had been captured in the neighbouring district of Nea Halkidona in another hiding place of the terrorist organization a little earlier in 2011.

At the beginning of this year, the terrorists together with the criminal Panagiotis Vlastos found a way to escape from the prison in Korydallos. Today, the court, not knowing where the accused are, has sentenced each of the terrorists in their absence to 68 years in prison for various crimes.

Each of the defendants must serve in prison seven years for involvement in a terrorist organization, ten years for four different attacks with explosives and another seven years for each of the three other armed attacks. They must each serve a total of 68 years in prison. Their sentence may be reduced to 34 years for good behaviour. However, they have to be captured again first.

Gerasimos Tsakalos was arrested in early November 2010 in connection with the parcel bombs sent to various buildings and embassies in Athens. The other charges were related to one of the hiding places members of the organization had rented under a false name in the neighbourhood of Halandri. The terrorists had rented under a false name a flat of over 100 square metres, where a list of stolen identities used by the terrorists was found.

Damiano Bollano and the brothers George and Michalis Nikolopoulos were convicted of involvement in a terrorist organization and of delivery, manufacture and possession of explosive substances. The case file contains the group’s bomb attacks at the house of former Minister of Public Order Panagiotis Hinofotis, the office of former Economy and Employment Minister Louka Katseli and in the courtyard of the former Ministry of Macedonia and Thrace in Thessaloniki. If the convicted serve their sentences, they would not have civil rights for another five years after their release from prison. Unfortunately, Greek authorities have not yet stated if they know where the terrorists are.