The 89-year-old man who terrorized Athens Tuesday morning, by shooting at people, was arrested and is expected to be led to a prosecutor on Wednesday.
The attacks at the EFKA offices in Kerameikos and the former Athens Justice of the Peace court on Loukareos Street resulted in injuries to the legs of one man at the first location and four women at the second. All victims are currently hospitalized at the Red Cross Hospital and are out of danger.
The perpetrator was apprehended at a hotel in Patras, as he was preparing to board a ship to Italy.
The perpetrator’s movements have raised significant questions regarding police response. Despite carrying out two bloody attacks and being recorded by numerous security cameras, he managed to travel undetected to Patras using three different taxis, moving about freely for hours before his eventual arrest.
What were the motives behind the shooting spree in Athens?
According to a letter written by the perpetrator, 89-year-old Panagiotis K., his actions were the result of a long-standing, deep-seated resentment toward the Greek bureaucratic and legal system.
Panagiotis K. spent the majority of his adult life abroad—eight years working and studying in Germany, followed by 40 years in the United States.
Upon his return to Greece, he became embroiled in a dispute regarding his pension status. While he continued to receive pensions from both Germany and the United States, he sought an additional “successive” pension from the Greek social security authority (EFKA).
Both EFKA and the relevant Greek courts officially rejected his request, ruling that he did not meet the legal requirements for the additional pension. He was, however, still receiving a monthly pension of approximately €360 as an OGA (Agricultural Insurance Organization) beneficiary. He claimed his U.S. pension alone amounted to $2,400 per month.
Feeling aggrieved and ignored by the Greek state, Panagiotis K. developed a “vengeful” mindset. He viewed the institutions he attacked (EFKA and the courthouse) as the architects of his perceived injustice.
His actions were not a sudden impulse. He had reportedly been issuing threats repeatedly in the recent past, openly warning that he would take violent action if his demands were not met. His choice of targets and his efforts to flee the country after the attacks suggest that this was a long-planned attempt to enact personal vengeance against the state institutions he blamed for his situation.
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