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Man, 89, arrested after 'shooting spree' in central Athens

The attacker was armed with a shotgun and opened fire at a social security office in the centre of the Greek capital.

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Police officers stand guard at the entrance of a courthouse after a gunman opened fire and wounded four people in Athens, Greece, on April 28
Police officers stand guard at the entrance of a courthouse after a gunman opened fire and wounded four people in Athens, Greece, on April 28. Picture: Costas Baltas/Anadolu via Getty Images

By Rebecca Henrys

An 89-year-old man has been arrested after a shooting in a government building in Athens.

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Police said the suspect was apprehended near the city of Patra, some 130 miles west of Athens.

Five people were injured when an attacker started shooting at a social security agency in Petralona before travelling to a nearby courthouse in Ampelokipi, where he opened fire once again.

Police say the suspect fled the scene and left behind a shotgun.

He was described by witnesses as tall and thin and wearing a blue trench coat.

One of the people injured at the social security agency suffered shrapnel wounds to his legs and was taken to hospital for treatment.

The motive for the shooting is not yet known, but the gunman reportedly threw envelopes containing documents onto the floor of the courthouse, saying those were the reasons for the shooting.

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People leave a courthouse after a gunman opened fire leaving several people wounded in Athens, Tuesday, April 28, 2026
People leave a courthouse after a gunman opened fire leaving several people wounded in Athens, Tuesday, April 28, 2026. Picture: AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris

Police are maintaining a heavy presence at both locations.

Alexandros Varveris, head of the National Social Security Fund, told local media that the attacker had gone to the fourth floor of the social security fund's offices in central Athens and told an employee "to duck" before he opened fire.

Mr Varveris told ERT radio that the gunman didn't seem to have specifically targeted the employee he hit.

The attacker reportedly entered both buildings with the shotgun concealed in his coat.