Conspiracy of the Cells of Fire (aka SPF)
The Conspiracy of the Cells of Fire, also known as SPF, is an anarchist group that originated in Greece in 2008. This organization is notable for claiming responsibility for numerous bomb attacks, particularly in its initial year, where it executed around forty bombings, primarily targeting domestic locations. Over time, the group's focus expanded, culminating in a high-profile incident in November 2010, when they sent over a dozen letter bombs to foreign embassies and European leaders, aiming to promote their anarchist ideology internationally. The group's stated goal is to establish a society based on voluntary cooperation, rejecting formal governmental structures.
Despite the crude nature of most of their explosives and the lack of significant damage or casualties, SPF's activities have positioned it as an active terrorist organization in the eyes of the United States. The group's emergence coincided with Greece's economic turmoil and widespread protests against austerity measures, reflecting a broader context of societal discontent. The Conspiracy of the Cells of Fire represents a segment of a longstanding anarchist movement in Greece, characterized by its symbolic attacks against perceived governmental power, often resulting in minimal physical harm but significant social and political implications.
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Conspiracy of the Cells of Fire (aka SPF)
- Summary: The Conspiracy of the Cells of Fire (sometimes called SPF) is an anarchist group formed in Greece in early 2008. It has claimed responsibility for dozens of bomb attacks, forty in its first year alone. Most of the bombs were described as "crude" and did not cause major damage if they exploded. Initially, the Conspiracy aimed its attacks at domestic targets. In November 2010, it was blamed for sending at least 14 bombs in letters or parcels addressed to foreign heads of governments in care of foreign embassies in Athens (some of which were forwarded) and to two European organizations, one in Luxembourg and one in the Netherlands. The 2010 incident was described by analysts as an effort to spread the Conspiracy's cause -- replacing democratic government with voluntary cooperative associations -- outside Greece. In this regard, the Conspiracy bombings were part of a relatively obscure but long-standing anarchist movement with branches in many countries. In the 2020s, the Conspiracy of the Cells of Fire is considered to be an active terrorist organization by the United States.
- Territory: Greece
- Religious affiliation or political orientation: Anarchist.
- Founded: 2008
- Key leader: Unknown.
- Goal: Implementation of an anarchist society based on mutual cooperation of individuals rather than a formal government.
Activities:
- 2008: Claimed responsibility for thirty bomb attacks in the first year since its founding in January 2008.
- March 2010: Claimed responsibility for a string of bombings aimed at a far-right-wing organization, Chryssi Avgi ("Golden Dawn"), the Greek aliens bureau in Athens, and the home of a leader of Pakistani immigrants.
- January 19, 2010: Claimed responsibility for planting a bomb near the monument to the unknown soldier near Greece's parliament.
- November 2010: Conspiracy of the Cells of Fire was blamed for sending at least fourteen letter bombs, mostly to foreign embassies in Athens, and addressed to the heads of government. Some reports also blamed the Conspiracy for bombs that damaged the Korydallos Prison in Attica, near Athens, and the courthouse in Thessaloniki.
- 2010: Claimed responsibility for a motorcycle bomb that exploded at an Athens courthouse
- 2011: Two members involved in shootout with Athens police
- June 2019: Giannis Michalidis, a Conspiracy of the Cells of Fire associate, escapes from prison
- Last known status: On February 10, 2024, four men were arrested who were found in possession of explosives. They were then linked to a bomb that exploded outside the labor ministry in Athens on February 3, 2024. One member was linked to Conspiracy of the Cells of Fire.
Conspiracy of the Cells of Fire was formed in 2008 as an anarchist group, reminiscent of other similar groups in Greece blamed for a long string of terrorist attacks dating to the 1970s.
On November 4, 2010, one member of the Conspiracy of the Cells of Fire was arrested with another man and was accused of sending parcel bombs to several European leaders and various embassies. The incident caused widespread disruption and heightened security measures throughout Europe.
The bombs, which authorities described as "crude" and unlikely to cause serious damage if they exploded, were sent to the Athens embassies of Switzerland, Russia, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Bulgaria, Chile, and Mexico and to the European police organization Europol in the Netherlands and to the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg. The bombs addressed to the Swiss and Russian embassies exploded, as did the one addressed to the Mexican embassy. That bomb slightly injured an employee of a courier company. The rest of the bombs were discovered before they exploded, but not before they had been forwarded to the mail rooms of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.
The string of bombs sent from Greece coincided with the discovery of two bombs that had been sent from Yemen to addresses in Chicago via UPS and FedEx. Both bombs were discovered en route, one in Dubai and the other in London. Authorities blamed Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula for both. Despite the coincidence in time, the head of Greece's national police, Lefteris Economou, said the letter bombs did not appear to be related to the air cargo packages sent from Yemen the previous week, a plot that was blamed on Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou also denied a connection to the Yemen bombs. Nevertheless, the two incidences did focus a spotlight on air cargo carriers as a potential means that terrorists could use to deliver weapons. Greece suspended for forty-eight hours the shipment of letters and small packages meant for foreign addresses.
Greek police arrested two men and charged them with terrorism in connection with the case. They were identified as Panagiotis Argyrou, twenty-two (or twenty, according to some reports), whom police said was unemployed, and Gerasimos Tsakalos, twenty-four, described as a student. Police said Argyrou was a member of the Conspiracy of the Cells of Fire who was already on a most-wanted list in connection with three attacks in 2009 that were claimed by the Conspiracy of the Cells of Fire.
Police said there were five other people thought to be members of the same group who were still wanted.
Conspiracy of the Cells of Fire. Few details have been published about the Conspiracy of the Cells of Fire. It has been described as an anarchist group, likely comprised of university-age students, formed in 2008 around the time of national riots touched off by the shooting of a teenage boy by police.
A document, in English, on the Web and dated January 19, 2010, titled "Democracy Shall Not Win" described itself as a "communiqué by the Conspiracy Cells of Fire." It appeared to adopt the rhetoric of the anarchist movement, declaring, for example, that "Democracy's totalitarianism has otherwise nothing to envy from previous totalitarian regimes. Nepotism, aristocracy, men of the court, favoured men, businessmen, mediators, contractors and publishers still rule social life, while down 'below' remain unjustly treated and at the same time, always willing to be 'fooled.'" and that "the ambitions of becoming easily rich, of spectacularly advancing to a higher social class, of having a career, accumulating property, securing material objects and double-locked doors is what democratic prosperity comes to promise. And so, the willful subjects surrender to the totalitarianism of capitalist sovereignty placed against a democratic background."
SPF is one of several anarchist groups operating in Greece that have expressed their political feelings by exploding bombs. Mostly, these events have not been deadly, instead being aimed at targets symbolic of government power. Some analysts have said the activities of anarchists were conducted under a form of informal agreement: so long as bombs do not injure or kill anyone, the police will not spend too much energy tracking down members of anarchist groups.
The Political and Economic Context. The SPF incident preceded by a few days the municipal elections in Greece that were widely viewed as a referendum on the government during a time of economic dislocation. Facing pressure from international financial institutions, Papandreou, earlier in 2010, had agreed to a string of austerity measures - notably reductions in pensions, wages of government workers, and tax increases -- in exchange for $150 billion in loans. Those measures sparked protest demonstrations across Greece in May 2010. In the 2020s, Greece continued to struggle with public demonstrations related to similar issues, including cuts in public spending, raising taxes, and security austerity measures.
Bibliography
Conspiracy of the Cells of Fire Nuclei (CCF). (2023, May 14). The Modern Insurgent. Retrieved Sept. 29, 2023, from https://www.moderninsurgent.org/post/conspiracy-of-the-cells-of-fire-nuclei-ccf
Kakissis, John. “Greek Mail Bombs: A Sign of Violence to Come?” Time, 4 Nov. 2010, time.com/archive/6951341/greek-mail-bombs-a-sign-of-violence-to-come/. Accessed 11 Oct. 2024.
Kassimeris, G. "Greece’s New Generation of Terrorists, Part 2: The Conspiracy of Cells of Fire (CCF)." Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, vol. 35, no. 9, 2012, pp. 634–649. Taylor & Francis Online, doi.org/10.1080/1057610X.2012.702670. Accessed 11 Oct. 2024.
Kouras, Bill. “Greek Police Arrest Four Men after Explosion near Ministry.” Greek City Times, 10 Feb. 2024, greekcitytimes.com/2024/02/10/greek-police-arrest-four-men-after-explosion-near-ministry/. Accessed 11 Oct. 2024.
“Terrorist Designation of Conspiracy of Fire Nuclei.” State.gov, US Department of State, 13 Oct. 2011, 2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2011/10/175362.htm. Accessed 11 Oct. 2024.