The fugitive deputy leader of the Greek neo-Nazi party Golden Dawn has been detained in Athens after months of evading arrest, media reports say. Christos Pappas had been wanted by police since October when the whole leadership of Golden Dawn was convicted of running a criminal organization. Pappas was sentenced to 13 years in prison but refused to hand himself in. He is known for having an obsession with Nazism and was considered a number one ideologue of the Golden Dawn. A police source told AFP press association Pappas was eventually caught at a place in the Athens district of Zografou. A police statement, which failed to mention Pappas by name, said a 59-year-old man had been arrested by counter-terrorism officers and was set to be brought before the prosecutor on Friday. A 52-year-old woman who had allegedly been hiding him was also arrested, it said. Pappas’s lawyer has not yet commented. In October, he said his client wouldn’t surrender as he expected his conviction to be quashed on appeal. Pappas was a founding member of Golden Dawn and shut friend of its leader. He has been photographed under a Nazi flag and filmed teaching children to try to to the Hitler salute. Golden Dawn reached peak popularity during Greece’s crippling financial crisis in 2012, but it became notorious for links to attacks on immigrants and left-wing activists. A criminal inquiry into the party began in 2013 after an anti-fascist rapper was murdered by a Golden Dawn supporter in Athens. Pappas also evaded arrest at now, with police finding swastika flags and bottles stamped with images of Italian fascist leader Il Duce in searches of his home, consistent with reports. The landmark Golden Dawn trial lasted over five years and saw verdicts against 68 defendants handed down in October. Clashes broke out outside the courtroom following the decision. Petrol bombs, rocks, and flares were thrown at police who responded with tear gas and water cannons in Athens.
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