Golden Dawn Spokesman Jailed on Gun Charges in Greece

The party spokesman for the Greek far-right party Golden Dawn was jailed on Thursday ahead of a trial over gun possession charges.

Ilias Kassidiaris, who is also a lawmaker, is the ninth party deputy to be placed in provisional detention since a crackdown against the neo-Nazi group was launched last year

Several members of the party, including Kassidiaris, have been been arrested and accused of belonging to a "criminal organisation".

Although he was released on bail for that allegation, he returned to court on Thursday to respond to new charges of possessing an illegal weapon for a criminal organisation.

A judicial source said he had been charged with illegally converting two weapons, intending to give them to members of the party for criminal purposes.

Kassidiaris rejected the new charges and waved two gun licences at journalists as he was led from the court.

He has been transferred to a west Athens prison where he joins eight fellow party members currently in detention, including the founder and leader of the group, Nikolaos Michaloliakos.

One of the most recognizable members of the party, Kassidiaris hit the headlines in June 2012 when he struck a female Communist lawmaker in the face and threw a glass of water at another during a TV talk show.

Since the start of the inquiry into the party he has frequently lashed out against the government and members of the media, who he accuses of trying to destroy the party.

Founded in the 1980s, the openly xenophobic and anti-Semitic Golden Dawn was for years a semi-clandestine group on the fringes of Greek politics.

But in 2012 the party won 18 seats in parliament, tapping into widespread anger over immigration and austerity reforms in the debt-ridden country.

While two politicians have since resigned from the group, Golden Dawn also came third in May's European elections, winning three seats.