Gunman, 89, held after five wounded in Athens shooting

The ministry for the protection of Greek citizens said police arrested an 89-year-old suspect who injured five people in two separate shooting attacks in Athens.

Police said a man opened fire with a shotgun at the EFKA social security agency branch in Greece, wounding an employee in the leg.

The gunman then took a taxi to the court building, where he fired several shots, slightly wounding four female court clerks, according to police, court officials and the judicial employees’ union.

According to media reports, the gunman left his shotgun at the scene along with the letters he wrote to the newspapers and fled on foot.

According to local media reports, a second gun was also found during the arrest.

Media identified the suspect as a garbage collector from the Athens area.

Police did not comment on a possible motive.

The man was arrested at a hotel in the western port city of Patras, 200 km from Athens.

While witnesses said the man was confused, police sources told the media that the man had received psychiatric treatment in recent years.

The emergency service reported that all the injured were in danger.

Initial reports from broadcaster ERT indicated that the trigger for the incident was a dispute with authorities over pension payments.

with DPA