Galery

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In a fit of copycat behaviour taking after the armed attack of the 31-year-old Albanian in Mikrolimano, a young student posted on his Facebook account that he would grab an automatic rifle to kill people in the Technological Institute where he studies.

This is what representatives of the Greek police have said, having identified the youth following an all-night investigation and taken him to a police station early in the morning on Tuesday. In custody, the young man apologised and said he was sorry.

The police announcement says the unit combating cyber crime has brought charges against a 21-year-old undergraduate of Greek origin who posted a threatening message against his Technology Institute on a social network.

The investigation was sparked by a warning at the cyber crime unit about specific threats made by an Internet user.

The police statement says that "as a result of a special police investigation on a social network, it has been found that a message was posted to an Internet group of undergraduates from an educational institution by an unknown user in which he openly vowed to commit a violent crime against persons and/or property at the same educational institution; the threats were reminiscent of what has taken place in similar assaults overseas."

The prosecutions office was notified and a preliminary investigation was launched. Carried out jointly with Internet providers, the investigation traced the message back to its author, a 21-year-old undergraduate. When he was rounded up and interrogated, he owned up to having posted the threats, but maintained he had no real intention of materialising them.

The case will be handed to the Athenian prosecution office.

Meanwhile on Fleming street in Nea Filadelfia a Kalashnikov assault rifle was found abandoned.

The weapon was taken to the criminal laboratory of the Greek police to be examined; the forensic experts will find out whether it leads to the Albanian shooter wanted after the armed assault in Mikrolimano or not.

Meanwhile, in the presence of a prosecutor, the police searched the hotel where the alleged 31-year-old suspect was staying.

Sources say the hotel was fairly close to the nightclub where the shooting occurred.

Apparently, the hotel owner recognised the perpetrator from a photograph shown by a TV channel. The guy had booked a room in the hotel and stayed there with another man.

The police are investigating the route of the suspect using CCTV footage from the area.

On Monday, the Jeep the Albanian had rented was found as well as the identity of the other individuals, who appear in video footage together with him prior to the attack.

Today the police are expected to officially publish the mug shot and details of the Albanian suspect.