Traces of the “Cores” in the bloody incident in Pefki

Dimitris Popotas and Aria Kaliva

The personal information of the wounded perpetrator from the incident in Pefki has been located. He is a 21-year-old TEI student living in Holargos, whose fingerprints were found in a hideout apartment of the organization “Conspiracy of the Cores of Fire”.

Police publicised the picture of the wounded man that shot and injured 2 officers in Pefki yesterday, in an attempt to gather information about his identity, moves and actions.

The young man has been hospitalized under police protection at the Erythros Stavros hospital. It is noteworthy that publicising pictures of perpetrators is standard practice for the Counterterrorism unit in order to gather more clues about their actions.

Ballistics today showed the guns were “clean” regarding other terrorist acts, but there is an investigation on whether they were used in other illegal acts.

The offender was carrying an ammunition clip from the gun he used to shoot at the officers, while a bike that was stolen 3 days ago from Kipseli was found next to him.

The second offender, who took the patrol car and dragged an officer before stealing it, is still at large, while information on him is that he was injured during the gunfire.

This strange incident that took place late Wednesday has concerned Greek Police regarding the motives of the perpetrators.

Although the identity of the young men is still unclear, the investigation so far is being handled by the police, with Counterterrorism discreetly watching and waiting for the testimonies of the injured officers to shed some light on the case.

It all started 5 minutes after 7pm when the guard at the solar village in Pefki called the police and complained about two troublemakers at the junction of Aiolou and Epikourou Str.

“The two youths were sitting on the bench…”, says an eyewitness, unsure as to how they were causing trouble to the passers-by.

A patrol car with two officers aboard rushed to the area and as soon as they opened their doors there was a volley of shots by the two strangers. They returned fire, injuring one of the offenders who was then taken to hospital covered in blood.

“This was probably an ambush. It’s a miracle we are not mourning any victims… At least 5 bullets hit the officers. Even though they were wearing bulletproof vests. the bullets pierced through them; however, the vests slowed the bullets' momentum”.


They snatched the patrol car

When the officers fell to the ground injured, an unknown man - possibly an accomplice - got into the police car and fled through the narrow streets of the area.

There was an immediate alert and the car was found a while later, abandoned at Thessalonikis street in Kifissia, and was seized by the Crime Laboratories. Eyewitnesses speak of a young man who got out of the car, started running and looked slightly injured, but this has yet to be confirmed.

The second offender was transferred to the Erythros Stavros hospital and then to the OR because, according to information, he had been shot on his thigh and arm.