Α 31-year-old man arrested in the wake of a bomb blast late last month at an inner Athens apartment was remanded in custody on Friday, the latest development in a case under intense scrutiny by Greek authorities due to links with ultra-left urban terrorism in the country.
Nikos Romanos was arrested last weekend after a partial fingerprint of his was allegedly found on plastic bag inside the apartment, which was mostly demolished after a makeshift bomb detonated. The bag contained a handgun, police said.
According to reports on Friday, Romanos strenuously denied any involvement in the incident or of knowing any of the suspects linked with the explosion and weapons found inside the Ampelokipi district third-floor apartment.
He provided an initial two-hour statement, as a suspect, to an investigating magistrate the same day.
A brief commotion erupted outside the courthouse where Romanos testified on Friday afternoon after gathered friends and supporters, around 250, were angered by the decision to deny him bail. Some protestors first threw stones and other objects at assembled riot police, who responded with tear gas and flash grenades.
The 31-year-old has previously served six years of an initially longer prison sentence for armed robbery and other felonies related to a botched bank robbery in northern Greece in February 2013. Six individuals, including Romanos, were arrested in that incident.
Romanos has also been active in self-styled anti-state/anti-establishment movements in the country, while he has not been arrested or detained following his parole in 2019.
One man, 31, the alleged bomb-maker, was killed in the explosion, while another woman inside the apartment was seriously injured and remains hospitalized under police guard. Another two suspects were also arrested in the case, with Romanos being the fourth.
Apartment building to be restored
Meanwhile, in a related development that was widely reported and televised the same day, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met with owners and tenants of the damaged apartment building, located on Arkadias 3 St, and announced that the state will assume the full restoration of the building, which contains 44 units, of which nine are commercial spaces.
Mitsotakis said the funding for the restoration was donated by Athens-based GEK Terna, one of the leading construction and concession groups in SE Europe. He also said the donation will cover belongings destroyed in the blast, while tenants can choose between receiving housing subsidy for the period when repairs are ongoing – between nine to 12 months – or residing at a near-Athens summer camp operated by the Hellenic Army up until the end of March 2025.
