Knife attack at the Acropolis: 60-year-old knifed American tourist couple
A 60-year-old attacked two American tourists with a knife at the south entrance of the Acropolis, injuring them. The perpetrator was referred to an investigating judge on charges of attempted murder.
Man stabbed two tourists at the Acropolis — 60-year-old taken before prosecutor
Scenes of panic unfolded yesterday morning among visitors to the archaeological site of the Acropolis when a 60-year-old attacked a couple of American tourists with a knife, according to Efimerida ton Syntakton.
The attack occurred at the south entrance of the site, opposite the Acropolis Museum and the ticket office. The victims were a 53-year-old man and a 48-year-old woman. According to POEDHN chairman Michalis Giannakos, the woman was stabbed in the thigh, while the man — who attempted to protect her — was struck on the wrist and was taken to KAT hospital in stable condition.
Police officers from the DIAS unit arrived immediately at the scene and applied a tourniquet to the 53-year-old to stop the bleeding. Both injured persons were transported by EKAB ambulance to Red Cross Hospital.
"We saw a man with a knife who was about to slit a woman's throat," said an eyewitness to the Orange Press Agency. "We saw the woman on the ground with blood on her back. We were terrified and tried to move away, but then we saw the police arriving at the scene and decided to continue on our way," he explained.
The 60-year-old was arrested and taken before the competent prosecutor, where he was charged with attempted murder and illegal possession and use of a weapon. He was subsequently referred to an investigating judge and given a deadline to submit his defence statement.
The perpetrator, who is reportedly homeless, is believed to be suffering from serious psychiatric problems and has come to the attention of authorities in the past. He had been arrested for insult and possession of a knife, and had been admitted to a psychiatric clinic twice. A prosecutorial order for his confinement issued in 2022 was never carried out as he could not be located.
The general secretary of the Greek Tourism Organisation, Andreas Fiorentinos, visited the injured parties at the hospital and characterised the incident as "isolated and deeply regrettable". He stated that Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni and the ETO immediately contacted the relevant authorities and the United States embassy.
Source: Efimerida ton Syntakton