Police arrest suspect for summer arson attack on media group

The police on Tuesday announced the arrest of the lead suspect in an arson attack against the Athens headquarters of the Real News media group that took place in July.

The suspect, who was described by the Athens-Macedonian News Agency as a “young man,” was arrested in a large police operation at a rundown refugee housing estate on Alexandras Avenue, parts of which have been taken over by squatters.

The attack in the early hours of July 13 on the media outlet’s building on Kiffissias Avenue involved three camping gas canisters that were detonated outside the entrance. 

The actual blast only managed to dent the reinforced front door, but it also started a fire that shot up the elevator and ventilation shafts, trapping a sound engineer working the night shift in the building. She was eventually rescued by firefighters unharmed, though the blaze caused significant damage to the building’s second floor.

Responsibility for the attack had been claimed by an anti-establishment group calling itself “A Thousand Night Suns.”