Christos Mavrikis, the 75-year-old central figure in a notorious 1990s wiretapping scandal, was arrested early Tuesday after allegedly firing shots into the air and barricading himself inside his home, police said.
Mr. Mavrikis was taken into custody near his residence in Spata, east of Athens, shortly after midnight following a tense manhunt.
Officers from the OPKE special police unit found him hiding in nearby bushes after initially raiding his apartment and finding it empty.
The standoff began around 6:40 p.m. Monday when a neighbor reported that Mr. Mavrikis had fired two shots into the air with a carbine before retreating inside.
Police negotiators and tactical teams surrounded the building for hours before entering.
At the time of the incident, Mr. Mavrikis was under house arrest and fitted with an electronic ankle monitor.
He is currently awaiting trial on felony charges stemming from a May 2025 arrest for allegedly attempting to bribe a Supreme Court judge.
Known in Greece as the "national bug," Mr. Mavrikis gained infamy three decades ago for his role in a massive illegal surveillance network.
In 1998, an appeals court sentenced him to five years in prison for wiretapping political figures using state telecommunications infrastructure.
Police have not yet announced specific charges related to Monday's gunfire and standoff.