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An 89-year-old man has been detained following a shooting spree in Athens that left five individuals injured, an incident his lawyer describes as a desperate form of protest against the Greek public service system. The events unfolded on April 28, 2026, and have ignited discussions about security measures and the state of public services in Greece.
Incident Overview
The elderly suspect, who has spent a significant part of his life as an engineer in Chicago, reportedly first targeted the EFKA social security agency. There, he discharged a shotgun, injuring an employee in the leg. Following this, he hailed a taxi to the nearby Court of Appeal, where he fired several shots, resulting in minor injuries to four female court clerks. The man was later located and apprehended at a hotel in Patras, about 200 kilometres from Athens.
His lawyer, Vassilis Noulezas, spoke to the media, asserting that the violence stemmed from “protest and despair.” According to Noulezas, the suspect had previously been hospitalised in a psychiatric facility in Athens and had faced rejection of his application for a supplementary pension, adding layers of complexity to his motivations.
Legal Consequences
In the wake of the shootings, a public prosecutor has charged the man with attempted murder and illegal possession of a firearm. These charges reflect the seriousness of the incident and the