Athens: an Albanian prisoner suspected of ordering grenade attacks on cafes

An Albanian convict in prison, described by the Greek police as an active member of the criminal organisation «Claudi», is suspected of having ordered the grenade attack on a cafe in central Athens in the early hours of Monday, eKathimerini reports, citing police sources.

According to the same reporting, two people on a motorcycle threw an explosive device — which did not explode — towards a venue on Ioulianou Street. This is the third attack of its kind within a month: the venue and a hookah bar in Amerikis Square had suffered heavy damage from the twin explosions of 8 September.

Investigators, according to police sources cited by eKathimerini, suspect that the venues in question, which belong to Syrian owners, serve as drug-trafficking hubs and that the violence is linked to a gang war in central Athens.

The suspect, linked according to police to the murder of a lawyer in 2017, is reported to lead the criminal group targeting rival networks. Investigations into the case continue, while the person in question remains a suspect and has not been convicted for these attacks.