A 45-year-old man was gunned down in a central street of Palaio Faliro in South Athens around 9 o’ clock on Wednesday morning. The perpetrators used Kalashnikov assault rifle in an attack police evaluates as “turf war” between criminal organizations. The victim was a well-known figure in the underworld of Athens. the incident occurred at the corner Naiadon and Aiantos Steets.
Heavily injured the victim was transferred to a hospital in Piraeus where he died despite doctors’ efforts to save his life. He was reportedly hit by 4 to 5 bullets.
Citing police sources, media report that the attackers had set an ambush, while the victim was vising the home of a friend.
At least one car and one motorcycle are believed to have been involved in the attack.
The victim was also armed and fired at his assailants, who fled immediately after the attack.
It is not known whether the victim was able to injure one of the assailants.
A video from CCTV shows the moment of execution and how the two assailants flee.
The shots exchange lasted for quite some time, setting the residents of the very populated area in panic.
Another CCTV video outside a cafe shows men in panic while bullets flee in the air.
Police suggests that the 45-year-old man was executed in retaliation of Greek mafia-boss Vassilis Stefanakos in February.
The victim, Manolis Karagiannis, was released from prison in summer 2017, half a year before Stefanakos’ assassination. While in prison, he survived an attack with knife. The 45-year-old is the fourth victim of the alleged tic-for-tat war between the two gangs.
He was reportedly assigning Greek and Albanian criminals with crime attacks, was fearing of his own life. He recently appeared in court to attend a trial of a gang offering “protection” to shop-owners in Piraeus. Recently he had to testify to Greek police in the case of an assassinated retired policeman. The 57-year-old was working in the private security sector.
Police believes that the powerful “mafia of West Athens,” is behind Karagiannis execution.
Police has collected the cartridges and send them to forensic lab to determined whether the rifle was also used against other crimes.
