Greece's Christodoulos Xiros arrested in Athens suburb

Greece's Christodoulos Xiros, the fugitive convicted member of the November 17 group who had gone missing in January 2014, was arrested in an Athens suburb on Saturday, Greek Public Order Minister Vassilis Kikilias was quoted as saying.

Xiros, 57 years old, was convicted in 2002 -when the group was dismantled - in six life sentences for a string of deadly attacks and bombings over a two decade period.

Among the more than a dozen members of November 17 arrested and convicted before the Athens 2004 Olympic Games, were also two of his brothers.

Since 1975 the group had been linked to more than 100 attacks and the deaths of 23 people, including Greek politicians, businessmen and foreign diplomats.

Christodoulos Xiros went missing during a prison furlough after New Year's Eve 2014 and a few weeks later he had threatened with a new series of attacks strongly criticizing the managing of the five-year Greek debt crisis.

The Greek state had offered a million euros reward for information which would lead to his arrest.

On Saturday afternoon Xiros, who had changed his hair color to blonde and had left a beard, was captured during a raid at the house he had rented at Anavissos under a false identity three months ago, Greek police chief Dimitris Tsaknakis said. Xiros did not resist capture.

A gun which was found in his position was being examined by experts, while investigators continued the search for possible accomplices.

Xiros' recapture comes a few months after another major success for Greek police. In July 2014, Nikos Maziotis, the fugitive leader of urban guerilla group Revolutionary Struggle, was arrested in a shootout after a failed robbery attempt in the centre of Athens which left four persons slightly injured.

He had been on the run with his spouse Panagiota Roupa since July 1012 before they were put on trial. They have both been convicted in 25 years imprisonment.

Roupa is still missing and police is also offering a million euro reward for information which could lead to her arrest as well as to the arrest of the unidentified perpetrators of the November 2013 attack at the ultra- Right Golden Dawn party's offices in Athens which resulted in the deaths of two party members.

Greece heads to early national elections on January 25 and analysts in recent months had expressed concern over a possible attack. Greece's urban guerilla groups have staged dozens of attacks against political, police, judicial, financial and foreign targets. Enditem