A 41-year-old man, believed to be the head of a major extortion ring, died in hospital yesterday morning after being fired at 15 times in a gangland-style shooting outside his Nikaia home.

Two unidentified assailants opened fire on Aristidis Lakiotis at around 7 a. m. as he returned home from a night out, injuring him in the chest and legs, police said. Lakiotis died on arrival at the local hospital.

Officers questioned a 27-year-old man, who had reportedly been with Lakiotis on Thursday night and who has been linked to an extortion ring, but later released him. They also detained a 35-year-old man, whom they were questioning until late last night.

Lakiotis had faced a string of charges in the past, including extortion and manslaughter. His name was on a list of the underworld’s “most wanted,” issued by police in the summer of 2002. In August 2003, he was arrested after checking into a clinic with a gun wound. He had been on conditional release since then.