Greek police arrest leaders of far right Golden Dawn party

Police in Greece on Saturday arrested the leader of the country's far-right Golden Dawn party, Nikolaos Michaloliakos, and other prominent members on charges of being members of a criminal organization. In addition to Michaloliakos, five members of parliament were detained along with some two dozen party officials. The accusations brought against them also include manslaughter, assault, extortion and money laundering, dpa reported. It is the first time since the restoration of democracy in Greece in 1974 that the leader of a political party has been arrested. "They will get a fair trial," said Justice Minister Charalambos Athanasiou after a meeting with Prime Minister Antonis Samaras. The arrests come amid heightened tension in Greece following the fatal stabbing on September 17 of a left-wing activist and rapper, Pavlos Fissas.