One of Greece’s most notorious protection racketeers was shot dead early on Saturday morning by two gunmen on a motorbike that pulled up next to his car at traffic lights, police said.

Alekos Kosmopoulos, 47, was linked to a high-profile bloody battle between underworld figures in the late 1980s and was convicted of the murder of a former associate a few years later.

Police said that Kosmopoulos resumed his criminal activities after being released from jail, but over the past few years had maintained a much lower profile.

In view of this, officers believe that his murder is likely to have been a settling of old scores or a contract killing.

Police said that two gunmen shot Kosmopoulos several times before riding off. No description of the suspects was issued by late last night.