Newsroom
An 89-year-old man has been arrested after carrying out two shootings in Athens on Tuesday, leaving five people injured. The incidents took place at an EFKA social security office in Kerameikos and later at the Court of Appeal on Loukareos Street.
According to authorities, the suspect entered the EFKA building and went up to the fourth floor, where he fired a shotgun and wounded an employee in the leg. He then left the scene and made his way to the courthouse, where he opened fire again, injuring four women. All five victims were taken to hospital with non life-threatening injuries, mainly caused by pellet spread.
Police say the man had planned the attacks in advance. Witness accounts indicate that a day earlier he told a taxi driver, “You will see tomorrow what I will do.” At the courthouse, he reportedly threw letters into the area, telling those present that they contained the reasons for his actions.
The suspect was located about six hours later in Patras, in a hotel near the intercity bus station. Staff said he arrived asking for a room, but none were available. While waiting in the reception area, he was recognized and police were alerted. Officers found him calm and cooperative. During the arrest, he was said to be smiling and told police, “You will see me on the news.” A loaded .38 revolver was discovered hidden in his coat.
Investigators believe he had traveled to Patras by taxi and may have been attempting to leave the country, possibly heading toward Italy. The taxi driver has provided a statement to authorities.
In a letter sent to media outlets, the man outlined long standing grievances with the Greek pension system. He stated that he was born in 1937 and had worked in Germany and the United States, where he received pensions without difficulty. His application for a Greek pension, submitted in 2005, was rejected. A legal challenge was later dismissed in 2017.
He claimed that officials treated him unfairly and accused Greek authorities of insulting him and mishandling his case. In the letter, he described feeling humiliated and wrote that he had become enraged over the years. He used aggressive language to express his anger toward public services and institutions.
Authorities confirmed that he did not receive any pension from Greece, although he collected payments from abroad. Records indicate that his application was denied because he did not meet the required conditions for a domestic pension. He had also not applied for a separate benefit available to uninsured elderly residents.
Police are continuing their investigation into the case, including the suspect’s mental health history, as reports suggest he had previously received psychiatric treatment.
