A series of meticulous investigative steps by Greece’s anti-terrorism unit—and the strategic use of existing evidence held by Greek authorities, sometimes referred to informally as the country’s ‘FBI’—proved decisive in identifying three of the alleged perpetrators of the May 2010 arson attack on the Marfin Bank branch in Athens.
Key Evidence and Breakthroughs
The arrest warrants for the three suspects were based on a detailed 120-page expert report outlining forensic, photographic, and behavioral evidence gathered over more than a decade. A critical component was a prior 2020 anti-terrorism investigation into explosives possession—a probe whose findings were later re-examined and repurposed as central evidence linking individuals to the 2010 attack.
In 2021, a photojournalist who had covered the 2010 Marfin unrest voluntarily handed over raw footage and photographs to authorities. Though the images were low-resolution and blurry, they were subjected to high-tech digital enhancement and comparative analysis using specialized forensic software. Combined with newer biometric and contextual data, this process enabled investigators to make positive identifications.
The Strike Team and Distinctive Clues
According to police, the attack involved 12 people operating in coordinated roles—including executors, coordinators, and support personnel. Of these, five were identified as core operatives. So far, three have been formally identified: two men, both aged 42, and a 46-year-old woman residing in the UK.
Initial witness accounts from 2010 described movements of several masked individuals, who were assigned numerical identifiers (e.g., “Subject 3” or “Subject 7”) due to their unknown identities. Using AI-assisted pattern recognition, investigators confirmed that the three identified suspects wore identical clothing and accessories—including distinctive footwear and headwear—as individuals seen in photographs from 2009, suggesting continuity in group membership.
A particularly telling piece of evidence was a backpack bearing three hand-painted stars. Forensic analysis linked this item directly to one of the arrested men—and to the suspect seen breaking the bank’s glass entrance during the attack.
Forensic and Behavioral Analysis
Criminal analysts compared height, body proportions, ear shape, limb structure, gait, attire, and footwear across video stills, surveillance footage, and crime-scene imagery. These multi-layered comparisons reinforced the identifications.
The indictment states that five of the 12 participants carried out the arson itself: they shattered the glass entrance, threw at least one Molotov cocktail inside, and used an accelerant to intensify the fire—even though they knew employees were trapped inside, pleading for help.
Roles and Ongoing Investigation
Authorities assess that one of the 42-year-old suspects played a coordination role, while the 46-year-old woman provided logistical support. Police consider the case tightly linked—especially for the two fully identified men—and have now expanded their focus to two additional individuals believed to have been part of the strike team.