At Athens Police Headquarters the suspects involved in the bank robbery in Tithorea

The eight individuals arrested for the armed robbery that took place on Monday morning (May 11) at a bank in Tithorea, Phthiotis, have been at GADA (Athens Police Headquarters) for a few hours.

Five of them were arrested just hours after the robbery. Upon their arrest, two hand grenades and the stolen loot, approximately 200,000 euros, were found on them. Later, in another operation in Attica and Boeotia, the remaining three suspects were arrested, and heavy weaponry was found in their possession.

The arrested individuals are under investigation for several robberies, at least 5-6 incidents, targeting bank branches and ELTA (Hellenic Post) offices.

So far, it seems they are definitely involved in the armed robbery at a bank in Katochi, Aetolia-Acarnania, on April 4, 2025, where, in a similar fashion, they held hostages (customers and employees) for at least 15-20 minutes until the safe opened due to a time delay. Simultaneously, house searches are ongoing to find clothes and items that will be cross-checked with those found in the possession of the suspects in other robberies, in order to identify their involvement in those as well.

In fact, the perpetrators are believed to have carried out robberies not only in rural areas but also in Attica. They are also being investigated for possible involvement in “PLOFKRAAK” cases (explosions-burglaries) of ATMs, which explains the presence of detonators found in the homes of some of the suspects.

Two or three of them had connections to the anarchist movement, although they had not been previously involved with the authorities. It is also possible that, aside from their personal financial gain, some of the stolen money might have ended up in the anarchist movement for other purposes.

Most of them appear to be marginal individuals who came together for the purpose of committing robberies, though none of them had previously been involved with the authorities except for one person with a past drug possession charge.

“The Greek FBI, the Directorate for Combating Organized Crime, which had been monitoring this group for a long time… They had committed other robberies, including a very large one and several smaller ones. They were organized, followed them, and reached the result. This is a conclusion on how our services should work when they have good organization, capable personnel, equipment, and technology,” said Minister of Citizen Protection, Michalis Chrysochoidis, on ERT.

When asked if there are indications of connections between the eight arrested individuals and other criminal activities, Mr. Chrysochoidis replied that this possibility is being investigated, but noted that the full picture will be formed by the judicial and prosecutorial authorities.

The minister described the group as “highly capable and active,” but also stated that they ultimately “fell into the trap set by the service” and were arrested.

Όλοι τους είναι ηλικίας μέχρι 33 ετών. Πάνω τους βρέθηκε ο βαρύς οπλισμός, το καλάσνικοφ, το οπλοπολυβόλο τύπου Scorpion, 4 πιστόλια καθώς και 4 χειροβομβίδες, ενώ μετά από έφοδο στα σπίτια των συλληφθέντων, οι αστυνομικοί εντόπισαν και κατάσχεσαν γεμιστήρες, πυροκροτητές καθώς και φυσίγγια.

The timeline

What happened yesterday, just before 10:00 in the morning, when the perpetrators arrived at the scene in a black car, resembled scenes from a movie heist.

Two of them entered the bank armed. One was carrying an AK-47 and escorted the bank manager to the lower floor, forcing him to open the safe to grab the money inside.

Meanwhile, the second perpetrator was emptying the tills at the counters.

According to eyewitnesses, the robbers did not block the entrance to the bank, so unsuspecting citizens were entering the bank as usual, unaware that a robbery was taking place.

A third accomplice stayed outside the branch as a lookout, monitoring the area.

They were recorded by cameras and citizens’ mobile phones

The robbery took place at the square of Kato Tithorea during peak hours, with many people in the area as cafes and shops were operating normally.

The movements of the perpetrators were recorded both by security cameras of businesses and by citizens who filmed videos with their mobile phones.

During their escape from a road in Tithorea, part of the loot is said to have fallen onto the road. The robbers stopped, collected the money undisturbed, and continued their escape with the vehicle that was waiting for them.

Heavily armed

The eight arrested individuals, six men and two women, were located and arrested yesterday afternoon, shortly after the change of their escape vehicles. The stolen vehicle from Piraeus was found intact but carefully cleaned on the road towards Zemenos, Arachova.

Searches followed in the mountainous provincial network of Attica and Boeotia, and the perpetrators were found with another stolen vehicle moving somewhere near Vilia.

The police followed them to Alepochori, where they were immobilized with a rapid intervention. Five people in the car were arrested, four men and one woman, before they could use their weapons against the officers.

In their possession, apart from the loot from the robbery (over 200,000 euros), heavy weaponry was found, such as four hand grenades, an AK-47, a Scorpion automatic weapon, and four pistols.

Subsequently, an operation took place in Athens, where two more men were arrested, and in Loutraki, another woman was detained.

At their homes, magazines, detonators, numerous cartridges, masks, and clothing that may have been used in robberies were also found and seized. After the completion of the investigations, they are expected to be brought to the prosecutor by noon, and official announcements and the presentation of the case by the police are expected early in the afternoon.