Well-known businessman with criminal history shot dead in Mandra

The charred body of a man believed to be Christos Gialias, a well-known businessman with ties to soccer was found in a vehicle in the West Attica suburb of Mandra on Wednesday afternoon, police have said.

As reported by police, shooting was heard in Mandra’s Agias Aikaterinis Street, which prompted a response by officers who found the vehicle in flames and body inside it.

Investigators believe Gialias was gunned down by two assassins using an AK-47 Kalashnikov rifle, which they then threw into the car and torched it.

Reports further indicate that the perpetrators set a second car ablaze, which they had used to arrive at the scene of the crime, and fled using a motorcycle.

The businessman, according to official reports, had a criminal history and was involved with narcotics and weapons trafficking.

Kathimerini understands that the businessman’s wife had also been shot dead in her Mandra house in 2018 and that authorities are investigating potential connections with organized crime.