Man stabs tourists near Greece’s Acropolis
The assailant attacked two people, was detained at the scene and appeared to have been suffering from psychological problems
A man stabbed and wounded two tourists Tuesday morning near the ancient Acropolis in Athens, Greece’s top tourist attraction, police said, in what appeared to be a random attack.
The assailant attacked a man and a woman, both Greek Americans, with a knife on a pedestrian street near an entrance to the Acropolis itself and near the entrance to the Acropolis Museum, which lies at the foot of the Acropolis hill.
The 53-year-old male victim suffered a serious wound to his arm which required a tourniquet to be applied, while the 48-year-old woman was more lightly wounded in the leg, police said. Both were transported by ambulance to a nearby hospital. Neither of their injuries was reported to be life-threatening.
The attacker was detained at the scene and was due to appear in court before a prosecutor later on Tuesday to be formally charged, police said. Authorities did not provide further details on his identity, in line with Greek law on the identification of suspects. The motivation for the attack was not immediately clear, but police said the assailant appeared to have been suffering from psychological problems.
The attack did not lead to any closure to the sites, which continued operating as usual. Greek media reported that the assailant had allegedly been randomly threatening passers-by with a knife, and that police had been alerted by a member of the public.