A gunman has opened fire at a social security office and a courthouse in central Athens, wounding at least five people.
A police operation is under way to locate the gunman, who Greek media said was an 89-year-old man.
Police said the man was armed with a shotgun and initially opened fire at the EFKA Kerameikos social security office in the centre of the Greek capital at around 10.30am, wounding an employee.
The same man was suspected of later opening fire on the ground floor of a court building in Athens, wounding four women. The motive was unclear.
Police applied a tourniquet to stop the bleeding of the injured employee and he was taken away by ambulance to the Red Cross hospital, Greek media reports.
Footage from state broadcaster ERT News showed ambulance crews taking at least three people from the courthouse to waiting ambulances.
ERT said that the gunman reportedly threw envelopes with documents on to the floor after the shooting at the courthouse, saying those were the reasons for his actions.
After shooting, he abandoned the weapon in a photocopier and disappeared, according to local reports.
The bloody armed attack occurred at 10.30 in the morning at the offices of EFKA Kerameikos
Greek media reports that the 89-year-old is a well-known garbage collector in the area and had been facing psychiatric problems. He was reportedly hospitalised in the past.
Police investigations are in full swing now as a manhunt continues to locate him.
One witness who was at the scene told Green newspaper Proto Thema: ‘I was just leaving the Court of First Instance and I saw many colleagues running.
‘A colleague came out and warned us that there was a gun and that shots were being fired.
‘What happened was that an elderly man in a blue trench coat entered office 23, shot three times on the floor, left the shotgun on the photocopier and disappeared ,’ he said.
An EFKA employee also recounted: ‘He told an employee to duck and then he shot. He shot him in the leg and left.’
The Minister of Labour and Social Security, Niki Kerameos, wrote on social media:
‘Our thoughts are with the injured employee. Our support will be comprehensive. I am in constant communication with the EFKA Governor and the Deputy Minister, who are arriving at the scene of the attack, while the Hellenic Police and the National Health Service are already there.’
She added that she had spoken with the injured staff member, and said he was in ‘good condition and is being provided with all the necessary care and support.’
Gun violence is relatively rare in Greece, where firearm ownership is allowed but tightly regulated.
This is a breaking news story. More to follow.