An 89-year-old man who allegedly wounded five people in two separate shootings in Athens acted out of 'protest and despair' over Greece's public services and a rejected pension application, his lawyer has claimed.
Details of the incident
The suspect, a retired engineer who worked in Chicago for 40 years, first opened fire with a shotgun at a branch of Greece's EFKA social security agency, injuring an employee in the leg. He then took a taxi to a court building, where he discharged several more shots, lightly wounding four female court clerks.
He was later arrested at a hotel in Patras, around 200 kilometres from Athens. Lawyer Vassilis Noulezas told Reuters: 'It was an act of protest and despair.' He added that the man had previously been hospitalised at a psychiatric clinic in Athens and had his application for a supplementary pension rejected.
Legal and political response
A public prosecutor has charged the man with attempted murder and illegal possession of a firearm. Citizen Protection Minister Michalis Chrysochoidis acknowledged security gaps at some court buildings but insisted Greece remains a safe country overall.
EFKA workers staged a walkout on Wednesday to protest security concerns, describing the incident as another sign of 'people's frustration' over understaffed public services.
