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The terrorist Christodoulos Xiros was captured by the police yesterday afternoon after a year’s hiding. The operation of the anti-terrorism department was organised in extreme secrecy.

Xiros offered no resistance during the arrest, and while being handcuffed reportedly told police officers, "I am Christodoulos Xiros".

As reported by the police, the terrorist from the Revolutionary Organisation 17 November had been living in a luxury house. It had been placed under surveillance in recent days as there were reports that it was a terrorists’ hideaway.

Xiros was nabbed while leaving the monitored house on a bicycle. A pistol with one bullet in the barrel and 13 in the magazine was found on him, as shown in the picture. He grew long hair, which he dyed blond, and a beard.

The house search found seven Kalashnikovs, an antitank RPG, a sealed box and a barrel full of explosives. All this corroborates the version that the premises had been a terrorist trysting place.

The lead up to the arrest 

The house in Anavyssos where Xiros lived, photo Ethnos

The arrest was carried out after the police staged a car accident. Xiros came up to see whether the policeman lying on the ground needed something when officers in plain clothes grabbed hold of him.

As sources claim, police located his abode based on evidence given by locals. The latter saw Xiros a number of times using payphones in the neighbourhood and were perplexed as to why the tenant of such a luxury property did not have a telephone of his own.

The house in Anavyssos was reportedly rented by Xiros himself using false documents.

It is still being carefully searched by the police. Apart from weapons, details have been found of two persons, who frequented the house and allegedly sheltered the terrorist. A car, which had been used by Xiros’ accomplices, is also being sought.

Investigators are exploring a scenario whereby the group hiding Xiros was in the process of concocting a terrorist action around the forthcoming elections.

The weapons have been taken to police laboratories to check whether they had been used in other cases. They might have been used in the terrorist attacks against the residence of the German ambassador and Israel’s embassy, carried out by the Popular Fighters Group. An RPG was used by the same terrorist group on 14 January 2013 in a failed attack against the offices of New Democracy on Syngrou Avenue. Previously, the same type of weapon had been used in the attacks against the US embassy and the Mercedes premises near Varibombi.

Sacks of cement and sand were found in the house’s yard. The 17 November revolutionaries have used such materials in car bombs to direct the blast in such a way as to cause heavier damage.

Locals living nearby testified to having seen Xiros taking walks around the region on his own. He was dressed in a long coat and looked like a hobo. He always had a messy beard and hair, was wearing a hat and often cycled.

While he was shipped to the premises of the anti-terrorist services, Xiros told the police officers he had acted on political motives.

Xiros' escape from jail

Xiros was officially announced as a fugitive on 7 January 2014, after he failed to return to Korydallos jail when his nine-day leave expired. That was his seventh leave.

He vanished from his parents’ house in Chalkidiki on the 5th of January. Police established that he had gone to Athens in a car driven by his nephew, got out of it in the city centre and disappeared.

On 21 January 2014, he appeared in a video to tout his return, wearing a red shirt and standing against the background of photos of Georgios Karaiskakis, Theodoros Kolokotronis, Che Guevara and Aris Velouhiotis.

Yesterday, the Minister for Public Order Vassilis Kikilias twittered to greet the crew that carried out the arrest operation. "Christodoulos Xiros has been arrested. Hearty greetings to Police Director Dimitris Tsaknakis and the men of the Greek police," the minister wrote.

Yesterday evening, Minister Kikilias and the police chief Tsaknakis gave a press conference at the premises of the Ministry of Public Order and Citizen Protection. They made it clear that the investigation of Xiros's accomplices and the weaponry in their possession has gone beyond the Attica region.

As Kikilias said, this is an important success for the police, as was Stamboulos’ arrest. The Minister stressed that the fight against terrorism was going to be long and hard. "The state is working and we meet the expectations of Greek society," said Kikilias.

To the question of whether Xiros was conceiving a hit, the police chief replied that the terrorist, who had been wanted until yesterday, was not one of those who liked to sit on their hands.

‘Manolis’ from the the Revolutionary Organisation 17th November

Under the alias ‘Manolis’, Xiros was one of the key figures in the operational unit of the 17 November terrorist organisation. He was detained for his participation in the organisation, and later on was convicted to 6 life sentences plus 25 years of imprisonment for his participation in 6 murders and 5 attempted murders.