Nikos Romanos will finally give his defense on Friday. He was arrested on Monday in connection with his involvement in the explosion in Ampelokipoi, which led to the death of a man and the serious injury of a woman.
Earlier, Nikos Romanos was brought before the prosecutor at the former courts of the Evelpidon Military Academy, where he requested and was granted a deadline to prepare his defense, set for 12:30 p.m. on Friday, following his arrest after his fingerprint was found on a bag containing a weapon at the apartment.
Romanos is a known anti-authoritarian activist, and he was arrested after his fingerprint was found on a bag in an apartment on Arkadia Street, which contained a weapon and a magazine.
Well-informed sources told protothema.gr that, so far, there is no direct evidence linking the arrested individual to the residents of the apartment. Given that his fingerprint was found on a mobile item (the bag), police are conducting an investigation to determine the extent of his involvement in the case.
Profile of Nikos Romanos
Nikos Romanos’ name first came to the public’s attention on the night of December 6, 2008, when Alexis Grigoropoulos was killed by the gun of special guard Epameinondas Korkoneas in Exarchia.
At that time, Nikos Romanos was 15 years old and witnessed his friend fall dead from the policeman’s bullet.
In 2013, Romanos, along with three others, was involved in an attempted armed robbery at the Agricultural Bank and the Postal Savings Bank in Velvento, Kozani. He was charged with involvement in the group “Conspiracy of Fire Nuclei.” While he was acquitted of charges related to the group, he was convicted for the robbery and sentenced to 11 years in prison.
A few months after his imprisonment, Nikos Romanos took the national exams from prison and was admitted to the Department of Health and Welfare Unit Management at the Athens Technological Educational Institute.
However, the prison council rejected his request for educational leave, prompting him to begin a hunger strike that lasted for 31 days.
Four Arrests for the Fatal Explosion
It should be noted that, so far, the Anti-Terrorist Police have made three other arrests in connection with the explosion. These include a man who, according to police sources, was near the apartment at the time of the explosion, a woman who received the keys to the apartment, and the woman who was injured and is currently hospitalized.
The woman who received the keys to the apartment had been abroad and was arrested immediately upon her return after a warrant for her arrest was issued. The man presented himself voluntarily to the authorities on the evening of November 1 and was arrested.
