The brother of man suspected in four arsons involving Jewish institutions in the Boston area in 2019 has been extradited from Sweden to face charges alleging that he obstructed the investigation, federal prosecutors said Sunday.
Alexander Giannakakis, 37, formerly of Quincy, worked in security at the U.S. embassy in Stockholm, Sweden, when he was arrested by Swedish authorities in 2022. He was indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston in 2019 and has been awaiting extradition proceedings, according to a statement from the U.S. attorney’s office in Boston.
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Giannakakis arrived in Boston on Friday and is scheduled to appear in federal court Monday afternoon, the U.S. attorney's office said.
According to the indictment, in and around February 2020, Giannakakis’ younger brother became the prime suspect in an investigation into four fires set at Jewish-related institutions in the Boston area: the first during the evening of May 11, 2019 at a Chabad Center in Arlington; the second at the same location during the evening of May 16, 2019; the third at a Chabad Center in Needham; and the fourth during the evening of May 26, 2019 at Jewish-affiliated business in Chelsea.
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Giannakakis' brother was hospitalized in a coma at the time he was identified as a suspect in February 2020 and he died that year. Federal authorities did not name him.
According to the indictment, Giannakakis left the United States with his brother’s electronic devices and papers and brought them to Sweden, where he was living at the time. According to court documents, when Giannakakis returned to the U.S. in March 2020, he was questioned by investigators and made false and misleading statements. Giannakakis allegedly removed and concealed physical evidence being sought by investigators which implicated his brother. Shortly after concealing that evidence, Giannakakis departed the U.S. for Sweden. Giannakakis remained in Sweden until his arrest.
In connection with his arrest in Sweden, Giannakakis was convicted of unlawfully possessing a firearm and other weapons. He served a sentence in Swedish prison, which ended in December. The Swedish government granted the U.S. extradition request on Dec. 21, the U.S. attorney's office said.
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The charges of making false statements in a matter involving domestic terrorism and falsifying, concealing, and covering up a material fact in a matter involving domestic terrorism by trick, scheme, and device each provide for a sentence of up to eight years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charges of concealing records in a federal investigation, tampering with documents and objects, and tampering with an official proceeding each provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000.
Giannakakis has not yet named or been appointed an attorney, according to online case records. A online database search for people with the last name Giannakakis in Massachusetts turned up a listing for an Alexander, but no phone number was available.
