A manhunt is underway for an elderly individual responsible for injuring five individuals in Athens, Greece. The assailant first fired shots at an EFKA social security office and later at a courthouse in central Athens on Tuesday, as confirmed by Greek authorities.
According to the police, the suspect, armed with a shotgun, initially attacked an employee at the social security office in the Kerameikos district. Despite receiving medical attention from arriving officers, the perpetrator managed to escape the scene. The same individual is believed to have carried out a subsequent shooting at the courthouse, where four women were reportedly shot, as detailed by Greek news outlet Real.
An eyewitness mentioned that the culprit began shooting as people evacuated the courthouse, leaving the shotgun behind before fleeing. Local sources indicate that the suspect works as a scrap metal collector.
Earlier, the assailant allegedly broke into the social security office, ascended to the fourth floor, and injured a male employee before traveling to the courthouse via taxi, approximately 5km away. EFKA’s head, Alexandros Varveris, revealed that the gunman called out to an employee to take cover before firing, resulting in another employee sustaining a leg injury. Varveris noted that the perpetrator concealed the shotgun beneath a trenchcoat.
Video footage from state broadcaster ERT News showed emergency crews transporting at least three individuals from the courthouse to waiting ambulances. The motive behind the shooting remains unclear, with reports indicating that the assailant scattered documents on the floor post-incident, citing them as the cause for his actions.
No official updates on the victims’ conditions have been released, although reports suggest they were taken to Erythros Stavros Hospital and are in stable condition. Gun violence is uncommon in Greece, where firearm possession is permitted but closely monitored.
