Full Breakdown
89-Year-Old Gunman Arrested After Dual Shootings in Athens Wound Five
4/28/2026, 11:39:05 PM
Chronology of the Dual Shootings
On the morning of 28 April 2026, an 89-year-old man entered the fourth-floor offices of the National Social Security Fund (EFKA) in Kerameikos, central Athens, and fired a shotgun, striking an employee in the leg. He then took a taxi about five kilometres to a courthouse in Ambelokipi, where he discharged the weapon again, wounding four female clerks with ricocheting pellets. He abandoned the shotgun, left envelopes explaining his motives, and fled on foot.
Official Statements from EFKA and the Judiciary Union
EFKA director Alexandros Varveris said the gunman entered the EFKA office, rose to the fourth floor, raised his shotgun, told an employee to duck and unintentionally hit another staff member. Stratis Dounias, head of the Athens Judicial Employees Union, said four women working at the small-claims court were slightly injured. Police have not disclosed a motive.
Timeline of the Day
Casualties, Firearms and Law-Enforcement Action
Five people sustained non-life-threatening injuries: one male employee (leg wound) and four female clerks (pellet injuries). Ambulances moved at least three victims from the courthouse. Police applied a tourniquet, secured the abandoned shotgun, and after a one-hour search captured the suspect, who was also found with a loaded .38 calibre revolver.
Context: Firearm Regulation and Rarity of Violence
Gun-related incidents are rare in Greece, where private firearm ownership is permitted only under strict licensing, registration and storage rules. The incident’s unusual age profile and the suspect’s 2018 psychiatric hospitalization have drawn public attention.
Discrepancies in Victim Counts and Suspect Profile
Reports differ on courthouse casualties: Euronews footage shows three injured, while Reuters and the BBC cite four female clerks. Greek media label the suspect a garbage collector; other outlets call him an “elderly man.” Weapon descriptions vary between a .38 calibre revolver and a generic “loaded revolver.” No motive has been released.
Verbatim Quotes
- “He went in, went up to the fourth floor, raised his shotgun, told an employee to duck and hit another one,” — Alexandros Varveris, EFKA director
- “Four women working at the small claims court were slightly injured,” — Stratis Dounias, Athens Judicial Employees Union head
- “He left the shotgun at the scene, along with letters addressed to newspapers, and fled on foot, media reported.” — Reuters report
- “Police have not commented on a possible motive.” — Greek Ministry of Citizen Protection (as reported)
Future Legal and Policy Steps
Police took the suspect into custody in Patras. Investigators are examining the envelopes and letters left at the courthouse to establish motive. The incident has drawn attention to Greece’s strict firearm licensing regime and to concerns about mental-health monitoring, given the suspect’s prior psychiatric hospitalization. No official policy changes have been announced.
