Shocked and heartbroken relatives, friends and colleagues bid farewell at this hour to Sokratis Giolias. The Archbishop of Greece, Ieronymos, is heading the funeral sermon.
The investigative journalist was shot dead on Monday dawn outside his home in Ilioupolis suburb of Athens. Giolias came under the cross fire of unknown culprits, who fired at least 17 shots; three of them injuring fatally the journalist on the head.
A professional hit team of three to four people lured Sokratis Giolias outside his home and summoned him into the street with the deceit that his car was stolen. The moment the journalist came to the doorstep the hit men pulled the trigger.
Forensic and ballistic investigation of the police have tied the 16 bullet casings found at the crime scene to two 9 mm guns used in the past by the Greek radical and apparently far-left group “Sect of Revolutionaries”. The group seems to have been formed during December 2008 riots in Athens over the deadly shooting of a teenager boy, Alexis Grigoropoulos, by a policeman.
Police authorities express the suspicion that the murder of Giolias was probably executed by “the terrorist organization in cooperation with ordinary criminals”. Greek media speak of an assassination in “mafia-like style executed with terrorists’ guns”.
Meanwhile police has asked the lifting of confidentiality of Giolias’ e-mail accounts and mobile phones, as well of Troktiko blog’s administrators, the blog the killed reporter. Investigation teams hope to track possible electronic traces of threats targeting the slain reporter. Authorities wait Giolias pregnant wife to recover the shock and testify as she was witnessing the assault form the balcony.
Political parties, politicians and journalists, international organisations like OECD and international press organisations condemned the murder of Sokratis Giolias. It is the first assassination of a Greek member of the press since the mid 1980s.
Sokratis Giolias leaves behind a four-month pregnant wife and a 2 years old boy.
Thumbnail Photo taken published in www.newsit.gr
