ATHENS – As residents of the anarchist-dominated neighborhood of Exarchia in Greece’s capital have complained police aren’t going after brazen daytime robbers, authorites said they had apprehended nine people following four days of cars being torched in the adjacent Kolonaki, a wealthy enclave in the city.

According to the police and fire service, four cars were torched at 3.40 a.m. on Karachristou Street in Kolonaki, three of which were completely destroyed while fourth was seriously damaged as firefighters responded, said Kathimerini, and State Security taking over the case.

That came after a string of car burnings in the suburbs of Maroussi and Agia Paraskevi with more than 40 cars set on fire in a week with no motive yet revealed or any claim of responsibility from any group as anarchists had said they were behind attacks on other targets.

Citizen Protection Minister Michalis Chrysochoidis held a meeting with the heads of Attica’s five directorates, senior officials from State Security and counter-terrorism in Greek Police’s headquarters GADA, the paper said.

Police said they think the cars are being targeted in response to a crackdown by the New Democracy government in Exarchia, targeting anarchist areas and raiding squats to rid abandoned buildings of occupants there unlawfully.

Police said they would intensity patrols and step up a crackdown instead of backing off, setting the stage for likely further retaliations or confrontation with anarchist groups whose operations include burning cars and tossing rocks and Molotov Cocktails at police.