Public Order and Citizen Protection Minister Vassilis Kikilias said on Saturday that the fight against terrorism is continuous and strenuous while addressing a press conference following the recapture of escaped fugitive terrorist Christodoulos Xiros. “We are safe and this strenthens the stability we all want which is necessary for the country,” he said.

Mr. Xiros’ hideout was discovered by authorities after months of investigation. Police Chief Dimitris Tsaknakis said that the police had been searching around Anavyssos, going door-to-door for three months to locate Mr. Xiros, who went by the name of Manolis.

The police started searching for Mr. Xiros in the region following intercepted phone calls and testimonies of people living in the area. An alleged tip-off concerning Mr. Xiros whereabouts in exchange for reward money worth a million euros has neither been confirmed nor denied.

One of Mr. Xiros’ mistakes was the use of a public telephone in the region, just a short distance away from a maisonette that Mr. Xiros had been using.

Part of the trap that the police had laid out for Mr. Xiros included an “accident” that was staged to occur when Mr. Xiros went out with his bicycle. A policeman got on a motorbike and swerved in an accident. When Mr. Xiros got off his bicycle to ask if he needed something, he was ambushed by policemen who were walking around as passersby.

The known terrorist complied with police even though he was armed with a gun and 13 bullets.

The anti-terror unit has already started searching the house where Mr. Xiros had been hiding.

Mr. Xiros had been serving multiple life sentences for membership in the terrorist organization 17N and had been missing since January 6 last year when he failed to return to prison following a 9-day furlough.