Galery

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A bloody drama involving a woman took place after midnight in a bar in the capital of Syros, Ermoupoli. A 61-year-old man killed the 42-year-old owner of the place and tried to burn alive one of the clients. The bloody denouement followed the fierce quarrel between the attacker and a 53-year-old man over a young woman.

Customers at the bar said that the two victims ogled the 30-year-old woman, who is supposed to be having an affair with the 61-year-old. They also claim that the men involved in the bloody scandal knew each other and are frequent visitors of the bar.

Witnesses said that shortly after midnight, a quarrel between the three men began, which, however, quickly abated. Customers at the bar were left with the conviction that the misunderstanding has already been decided and that spirits had calmed down.

But the 61-year-old man had other plans. He went to the toilet, from where he took a small water bottle and filled it with gasoline. After that he came out and poured the bottle's contents on the 53-year-old engineer and set him on fire. The bar was panic-stricken. Staff and customers rushed to extinguish the fire and rescue the man.

Witnesses say that one of the first who rushed to save the burning engineer, was the owner of the bar. But this further angered the attacker and he directed his entire wrath against the bar owner.

He pulled a small pistol out of his pocket and shot him right in the chest. Two bullets pierced his lungs and as a result he died later in hospital. After that, the attacker started shooting into the air and the customers lay on the floor to save their lives.

Immediately after firing the shots the attacker escaped and ran to the shipyards where, according to sources, he climbed up a crane in order to jump and commit suicide. His colleagues, however, dissuaded him. Then he took a taxi to the village of Finikas, and reached Galisas by motorcycle, where he intended to escape by boat in order to avoid arrest.

But police found him at 5:20. According to them, before being arrested, the attacker threw his gun out into the sea at the port of Syros, but divers later found it.

The 53-year-old engineer was suffering from second and third degree burns and was transported by air to hospital in Athens. Doctors say there is no risk for his life.

Crime news was supplemented by an armed robbery at a bank branch in Athens in the suburb of Nea Smyrni just after 1.30 p.m. Before running away, the attacker shot and wounded slightly in the hand the directress of the bank branch.

According to witnesses, the attacker did not wear a mask on his face and was wearing ordinary clothing. He entered the bank, and just like all other clients took a ticket with a number, then asked for the director. Police sources said that the robber was wearing a suit and a wig.

When he reached her desk he told her to give him money and threatened that otherwise he would use the hand grenade he was carrying with him. She refused, saying that she has no right to open the safe.

He still managed to take between 10 - 12,000 euros from two safes and started shooting when he realized that the exit door was blocked. Witnesses say he shot five times. Subsequently the bank's directress was wounded in the arm.

Then he escaped, and bank employees and customers started calling the police.

DIAS forces arrived at the place of the robbery, who are now searching for the thief, and the injured woman was taken to hospital by ambulance.