A 36-year-old fugitive who walked away from a prison furlough given when the former ruling Radical Left SYRIZA was backing vacations from jail for even violent criminals was apprehended near Thessaloniki, police said, without giving a name.

The escapee had been given time off in January, 2019 from the  Agricultural Detention Center of Kassandra, where he was serving a prison sentence for theft, said Kathimerini, and was tracked down by a special operations squad of police.

He was said to be in a car driven by a 49-year-old – also not identified – who was also arrested, and the report said a search of the car discovered a firearm with cartridges and a stolen driver's license. 

It wasn't reported how he was traced. SYRIZA, ousted in July 7, 2019 snap elections by New Democracy, which had complained about the furloughs for criminals – including terrorist assassin Dimitris Koufodinas who got a half dozen, favored leniency, the party riddled with anarchist and terrorist sympathizers among them.