“Cells of Fire” in the hot seat

“An initial hearing amid much tension," writes To Vima. The trial of alleged members of the “Conspiracy of Cells of Fire” got underway in Athens on January 17. Thirteen people, including four by proxy, are accused of membership of a terrorist group. The group, which sprang up following the riots of December 2008, has claimed a dozen attacks with dynamite, including the mailing of parcel bombs to foreign embassies in the capital in November 2010 and, more recently, an explosion outside the seat of the Court of Athens. No was injured in the attacks. “Amidst a crowd of police and journalists, a tense atmosphere prevailed throughout the first session, with the youth refusing to testify," reports the newspaper. “The court has therefore postponed its response to [the defendants’] procedural objections until next Monday. The trial can begin then.”