Athens, Greece. An 89-year-old man arrested after wounding five people in two shootings in Athens was charged on Wednesday with attempted murder and illegal possession of a gun. His lawyer said the suspect acted in protest and despair against Greek public services.
Shooting at EFKA office and court building
The man opened fire with a shotgun at a branch of Greece’s EFKA social security agency, wounding an employee in the leg. He then travelled by taxi to a court building, where he fired several more shots and lightly wounded four female court clerks.
Arrest in Patras
Police later arrested the man in a hotel in the city of Patras, about 200 km (124 miles) from Athens.
Lawyer cites pension rejection and prior hospitalisation
“It was an act of protest and despair,” the man’s lawyer, Vassilis Noulezas, told Reuters. Noulezas said the man worked for 40 years as an engineer in Chicago and was previously hospitalised at a psychiatric clinic in Athens. He said the man had applied for a supplementary pension in Greece but the request was rejected.
Officials cite security gaps as workers walk out
Citizen Protection Minister Michalis Chrysochoidis said late on Tuesday that there were security gaps at some court buildings but that Greece was a safe country overall. EFKA workers walked out on Wednesday to protest over security after the shooting, which they said they viewed as another act of people’s frustration over understaffed public services.
What changes, if any, do you think should be made to security at public service offices and court buildings?