Greek Police Officer Killed in Thessaloniki Bar Stabbing

A Greek police officer was killed in the early hours of Thursday in an altercation at a bar in the northern port city of Thessaloniki.

The unnamed police officer, aged 32, died after being stabbed with a knife for reprimanding another customer over his rowdy behavior.

That customer is thought to be a 44-year-old Norwegian national who has been taken into custody for questioning.

According to reports, the 44-year-old had been arguing with a friend of the police officer when the latter stepped in to stop the fight from escalating. The suspect allegedly responded by pulling out a knife and stabbing him at least twice, injuring him fatally.

The incident happened between 4 and 5 a.m. at a bar located right beside the police station on downtown Katsimidi Street.

Police officers in Greece who lost their lives

This is the third incident in December where a Greek police officer sustained fatal injuries.

On Wednesday a police officer succumbed to injuries caused by a flare shot during an attack by hooligans on riot police outside a volleyball stadium in Rentis near Piraeus on December 7th.

The 31-year-old officer had been hospitalized at Nikaia General Hospital, where he was sedated, intubated, and supported with mechanical ventilation. Due to the severity of his injuries, he underwent a leg amputation earlier this month.

An eighteen-year-old has been arrested and is facing charges of attempted manslaughter in connection with the incident.

Less than two weeks ago, a twenty-nine-year-old police officer from the DIAS motorcycle unit was killed during a car chase in Aspropyrgos in western Attica.

Greece has a long history of police officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty. Some of the most notable cases include:

• 1973 Athens Polytechnic uprising: Fourteen police officers were killed and fifty-eight were wounded during the student uprising against the Greek military junta.
• 1985 Athens railway station bombing: Two police officers were killed and thirty-four were wounded in a bombing at Athens railway station by the terrorist group Revolutionary Organization 17 November.
• 1996 Olympic Village bombing: One police officer was killed and fifteen were wounded in a bombing at the Olympic Village by the Revolutionary Organization 17 November.
• 2008 Maroussi police station shooting: Three police officers were killed and two were wounded in a shooting at the Maroussi police station by anarchist terrorists.
• 2010 Agios Ioannis Rentis police station bombing: One police officer was killed and fifteen were wounded in a bombing at the Agios Ioannis Rentis police station by anarchist terrorists.
• 2013 Athens police station shooting: Two police officers were killed and two were wounded in a shooting at the Athens police station by a lone gunman.