Galery

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A 47-year-old sergeant from the security squad at Domokos prison was gunned down with 43 rounds fired from a Kalashnikov and a pistol. Around 5:10 pm on Saturday, Seraphim Galimanis was walking out of his home in Kouvela, Fthiotida region, while going on a hunt. While opening the door of his car, the attackers, who were waiting in ambush outside his home, started firing.

There were at least three perpetrators, who after the shooting escaped in a black sedan. As it was found later on, the weapons they used were ‘clean’, i.e. they weren't used in other criminal acts. After being informed by Mr Galimanis’ relatives, the police immediately started searching for the perpetrators.

Last October, the security guard received serious threats from an Albanian criminal after a disciplinary measure Galimanis had imposed on a compatriot and close associate of his. This is one of the versions, which are now investigated.

According to investigators, there is also a ‘kinship’ version for the murder: Galimanis had also been threatened by one of his relatives. Besides, in the past he had been charged with involuntary manslaughter while hunting.

But police are inclined to believe the reason behind the murder lies inside prison, which is why other leads are being followed, apart from the Albanian one. At the Koridalos prison, Galimanis had been threatened by another criminal linked with the underground.

The Domokos jailer is described as a serious person and a diligent officer. Within his duties in jail, Galimanis had contacts with well-known criminals, but never had frictions of the sort that could turn into a motive for murder. No recent threats on his life are known. The police remind that the recent trial against the ‘37 bombers’ revealed information about planned attacks against prison officers. There have been earlier reports that mafia dons have paid a high price for copies of prison guards’ tax returns, which could give them the guards' home addresses.

The probability of armed organisations having carried out the assault is also being investigated. According to police sources, the assassination might have been committed by terrorists in collaboration with ordinary criminals. The documents of armed groups, e.g. The Conspiracy of Fire Cells or similar ones, have featured threats against prison employees. Several already convicted inmates have produced pamphlets against the high security Domokos jail; Christodoulos Ksiros himself had an attack against Domokos in the works as well.