Prominent ‘Greek mafia’ figure executed in cold blood
In a targeted mafia-style attack during the early hours of Sunday, a 44-year-old man, purportedly a prominent figure in the nightlife scene, was ambushed and fatally shot outside a fuel station in the Athenian neighborhood of Neos Kosmos.
Having previously faced accusations of leading an extortion group, the victim, identified as Vangelis Z., had narrowly survived a murder attempt in 2018.
Law enforcement considers his murder significant in the ongoing conflicts within the nightlife scene.
The assailants, traveling in an SUV, confronted him at the intersection of Frantzi and Ilias Iliou streets in Neos Kosmos on Sunday. They unleashed a barrage of gunfire through his car window, leaving him dead on the spot.
Subsequently, the attackers’ vehicle was discovered completely incinerated on Athens Avenue in Haidari, western Athens.
Authorities connect this incident to a thwarted plot against the 44-year-old in June, involving a van loaded with weapons.
Investigations into the incident are currently underway.
