Greece’s police chief has ordered the country’s counter-terrorism agency to conduct a preliminary inquiry after two men were shot dead outside a local office of the nationalist Golden Dawn party in Athens.
Two assailants escaped on a motorbike after shooting at four men standing on the pavement in the northern Athens suburb of Neo Iraklio at about 7pm local time yesterday, according to a statement today on the Greek police force’s website.
Police sent 12 9mm shell cases found at the crime scene for ballistic examination. Two men, aged 22 and 27, died, while a third, aged 29, was taken to hospital in a critical condition.
Golden Dawn said a previous request for police protection of its offices had been denied and that it regarded the two dead men as “members of our family”, according to a statement on the political movement’s website.
All of Greece’s political parties condemned the attack.
"The killers, whoever they are, will be ruthlessly dealt with by our democracy, justice system and by a united Greek society," government spokesman Simos Kedikoglou said, according to an e-mailed transcript of his comments.
Police have said the gun used in the incident had not been used in previous terrorist attacks.
The gunman fired 12 rounds from a Zastava Tokarev-type semi-automatic pistol.
A police source said a video from a nearby security camera confirmed accounts from Golden Dawn members that the attacker started firing from 15 metres away and killed his victims from point-blank range.
The gunman had also fired at a fourth Golden Dawn member who managed to get inside a building unharmed.
Bloomberg/AP