A man tied to arson cases at multiple Boston-area Jewish institutions faced a judge Monday after being extradited from Sweden this weekend.
Alexander Giannakakis, formerly of Quincy, Massachusetts, is accused of helping cover for his younger brother, whom federal authorities say set fires at four locations in 2019.
His brother, whose name was not released, died in 2020, according to authorities.
Following his return from Sweden, Alexander Giannakakis' arraignment was continued until next Tuesday. He will be held at least until then.
"It's hard to put into words. It was traumatic," said Rabbi Mendy Krinsky of the Chabad Jewish Center in Needham, one of the facilities that was burned.
You can still see the damage on the side of the building from 2019.
"I wanted justice to be done, but that was also surprising," Krinsky said of the suspect's death.
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Alexander Giannakakis is left facing multiple charges, from false statements to concealment of records.
The 16-page indictment states that Giannakakis helped his brother and "had taken the suspect's electronics (cellphone, laptop, etc.), sketches, writings, and mail from the suspect's bedroom and brought them to Sweden."
"I'm impressed with law enforcement that they stuck to this case and they're prosecuting it," Krinsky said.
Giannakakis was arrested by Swedish law enforcement in 2022. Authorities announced his extradition Sunday.
