Three arrested for arson that killed ND politician’s mother; key suspect hid on Crete

Arrests nine days after fatal attack

Greek authorities arrested three suspects on 10 July 2026 in connection with the 1 July arson strike that killed Vagia Nestora, mother of New Democracy (ND) politician Afroditi Nestora. A 29-year-old man and a 24-year-old man were detained in Thessaloniki, while a 26-year-old woman, already known to police for anarchist activity, was captured in Chania, Crete, where she had fled after the attack. The operation by the Hellenic Police’s Anti-Terrorism Service followed a nine-day manhunt.

I want to express my satisfaction for the immediate arrest of the perpetrators who murdered my mother and endangered the life of my father, our neighbours, and my own.

Afroditi Nestora, also seriously injured in the blast, issued a public statement thanking the police and Prime Minister for “zero tolerance for terrorism.” She called for a fair trial and urged against street violence, saying, “We do not want Thessaloniki to burn, nor vandalism and destruction as we have seen in our country in other cases.”

The attack and the investigation

The 1 July attack was one of three coordinated incendiary bombings on homes of ND officials in Thessaloniki (the others targeted ex-MP Savvas Anastasiadis and party executive Zisis Ioakeimovits). The device, a homemade gas-canister bomb placed at the entrance to the Nestora family’s apartment building, killed Vagia Nestora and injured Afroditi, her father, and two other residents. Investigators gathered CCTV footage from the days before the attack, showing the man and woman monitoring the building. A small piece of insulating tape found at the scene yielded DNA, helping identify the pair. Detectives also traced the escape route on a motorcycle to a nearby apartment (about 4.5 km, or a 4-minute ride) used as a safe house. The two primary suspects had moved into that flat roughly 24 hours before placing the device.

After the attack, the two returned to the apartment, changed clothes, and stayed until the following afternoon. The 26-year-old then left for Chania, where she was eventually arrested, while the 29-year-old remained hidden in the same apartment until police moved in.

Suspect profiles

The 26-year-old woman had been convicted in 2022 as a member of the anarchist group “Anarchist Action” for a series of gas-canister attacks in Thessaloniki, including one on a foundation building. Originally from Athens, she had been living in Thessaloniki. Police sources describe her as a familiar figure in anti-establishment circles. The 29-year-old man is a known member of the Thessaloniki Anarchist Council and had been detained by authorities twice before, once in 2015 and once earlier this year. The third arrested man, aged 24, is the owner of the apartment used as a hideout; he is believed to have provided shelter but not to have taken part in the attack itself.

Afroditi Nestora calls for calm and justice

In her social media statement, Afroditi Nestora said the case now rests with the judiciary and expressed hope that “the judges who will try the case will rise to the occasion and impose the sentences that my mother’s murderers deserve.” She also thanked the public for attending the funeral the previous day, on 9 July, and singled out Alexia Bakoyanni, a woman who, as Nestora noted, “knows, as few do, what it means to lose a parent to terrorism.”

The case now passes into the hands of Justice. I hope and wish that the judges who will try it will stand up to the task and impose the sentences that my mother’s murderers deserve.

What comes next

Police are still investigating the two other arson attacks on ND officials, which are believed to have been carried out by a separate group. Officers are examining seized phones and digital evidence in an effort to identify additional suspects and possible accomplices. The three arrested individuals face charges that include terrorism-related offences and homicide. Greek authorities are also looking into whether the 26-year-old woman’s past membership in “Anarchist Action” links the current incident to a broader network.