Authorities have arrested a village chief, his brother and a firefighter on suspicion of carrying out a series of arson attacks, extortion and other crimes in the southern Peloponnese following a two-year investigation, officials said.
The three suspects are accused of involvement in at least seven deliberately set fires in the Messinia region in 2024 and 2025, according to the Fire Service’s Directorate for Combating Arson Crimes (DAEE). The fires allegedly broke out at night in the wider Gargalianoi and Metamorfosi areas and were intended as acts of retaliation.
Authorities allege the suspects also extorted local residents, destroyed olive trees, and stole fertilizer and agricultural equipment.
Investigators are also examining allegations that farmers were pressured into paying money in exchange for access to irrigation water, which they believe was used as a means of coercion.
The arrests on Saturday followed an investigation lasting more than two years.
