Man kills 45-year-old woman and then himself in Nea Smyrni, Athens

Two Albanian nationals were found dead early this morning in the Nea Smyrni neighbourhood of Athens in an incident Greek police are treating as a murder–suicide.

According to initial findings from investigators, a man ambushed a 45-year-old woman inside the apartment block where her daughter lives. The woman was shot and killed at the scene; the suspect then turned the gun on himself and died, authorities said.

Residents of the normally quiet neighbourhood were awakened by gunfire around 5:30 a.m. One neighbour described the shock of hearing the shots. "We heard three loud shots at five in the morning," she told local reporters, adding that there were a few seconds between each shot.

Investigation under way

Police units cordoned off the area and medical teams confirmed both victims dead on arrival. Investigators have not publicly confirmed whether the two had been married or were in a relationship.

The case has been handed to the Directorate for Combating Organized Crime. Inspectors are reconstructing the victim's movements in the minutes before the attack, taking statements from neighbours and collecting physical evidence at the scene to establish the motive for the killing.

Photo: Ilustracija AI