Greek Police Arrest 89-Year-Old Man After Shootings Wound Five in Athens

Greek police arrested an 89-year-old man suspected of carrying out shootings at a social security office and a courthouse in central Athens, wounding five people. m. local time on April 28, 2026. 38 revolver at a hotel. The suspect first opened fire at a branch of the National Social Security Fund, known as EFKA, in the Kato Petralona area.

He wounded one employee in the leg before fleeing. Police treated the injured employee at the scene by applying a tourniquet.

Security camera footage showed the man, dressed in dark clothing and a trenchcoat, carrying a short-barreled shotgun. He proceeded to a court building in the Kerameikos area, where he fired additional shots on the ground floor. At least three female court employees were slightly wounded by ricocheting pellets, and a fourth was taken to hospital without physical injuries.

The suspect abandoned the shotgun in a photocopier at the courthouse, along with a stack of files. ” as he left. Local media reported that a relative identified him to authorities during the second shooting.

“He went in, went up to the fourth floor, raised his shotgun, told an employee to duck, and hit another one.”

Police have not confirmed a motive, but local reports indicate the suspect lost a court case related to his pension. He had reportedly received pensions from the U.S. and Germany, with a Greek claim rejected in 2015 and an appeal denied two years later.

” The man, identified locally as a former garbage collector from the Athens area, had been hospitalized in a psychiatric facility previously, according to a relative. Police sources indicated the attacks were planned in advance. He told a taxi driver the day before, “you’ll see what I’ll do tomorrow,” per local reports.

The head of the Athens Judicial Employees Union said the man shot at the floor inside a court office. The wounded at the courthouse included court employees hit by ricochets. No fatalities were reported in either incident.

A police spokesperson confirmed the arrest, noting the man was sought in connection with the armed incidents. Authorities conducted a major manhunt following the shootings, which began Tuesday morning. The suspect traveled by taxi between locations.

Gun violence is relatively rare in Greece, where firearm ownership is tightly regulated. The incidents prompted evacuations and medical responses at both sites. Television footage showed ambulance crews transporting injured individuals from the courthouse.

“The gunman had gone to the fourth floor of the social security fund’s offices in the Kerameikos area of central Athens and opened fire after calling out to an employee to duck." — Alexandros Varveris, head of EFKA, April 28, 2026 (ERT radio). Police are examining the documents left at the courthouse for further details on the motive. The suspect's connection to the U.S. remains unclear. No other suspects have been mentioned in the reports.”