Three arrested for July 12 fire at former Badminton Theater in Athens; suspects burned cables for copper

The fire and initial findings

On 12 July 2026, a fire broke out at the former Badminton Theater in Goudi Park, Athens, damaging part of the abandoned Olympic venue. Fire service investigators quickly concluded the blaze had started inside the building. During an autopsy after the fire was extinguished, they found three openings leading into the structure: one at the rear and two on the side, through broken glass panels. At the point where the first flames appeared, they discovered traces of burned electrical cables, a finding that pointed to arson rather than an accident.

Witnesses told the Directorate for Combating Arson Crimes (DAEE) that shortly before the fire they heard voices coming from inside the building. They then saw three people exit and drive away in their vehicles. This testimony, combined with security camera footage from the wider area, allowed investigators to identify the three cars and their owners.

Investigation and identification

The DAEE collected video from surveillance cameras that had recorded three vehicles moving suspiciously near the site and leaving just before the fire erupted. By cross-referencing the footage with witness statements, officers were able to link the vehicles to three men. Arrest warrants were subsequently issued by the competent judicial authority.

According to the investigation, the suspects set fire to the cables in order to remove the copper from inside them. One of the men was driving the van captured by the cameras when he was arrested. The three are Greek nationals, aged 29, 32 and 52, and one report describes them as Roma.

The arrests

A coordinated operation was mounted at midday on Wednesday 29 July, near and inside the Alsos Ilision area. Ten experienced DAEE officers took part, supported by police from the Crime Prevention and Suppression Team (OPKE). All three wanted men were located and arrested in execution of the warrants. They are expected to be brought before a prosecutor to face criminal proceedings.

The successful completion of the operation is the result of systematic investigative inquiry, operational readiness and close cooperation between the DAEE and the competent prosecuting and judicial authorities. The Directorate for Combating Arson Crimes continues its mission with consistency and professionalism, utilising modern investigative methods and every available piece of evidence, with the aim of fully ascertaining the circumstances of each fire and attributing the prescribed criminal responsibilities.

A venue with a troubled past

The building belongs to the Public Properties Company (ETAD). It was originally erected as a temporary facility for the 2004 Olympic Games but was later made permanent under a post-Olympic law and operated as a theatre and events space. A protection decree for Mount Hymettus had stipulated that the building be demolished once its lease expired. In 2012, the Council of State, Greece's supreme administrative court, ruled that the provision converting the temporary Olympic installation into a permanent one was unconstitutional. The court noted that the venue had been made permanent because it was considered one of the facilities most likely to generate revenue after the Games, but that the impact on the natural and residential environment of the wider area had not been assessed.