Policeman shot dead

   Four hooded gunmen shot and killed a 41-year-old police counter-terrorism officer in Athens at dawn on Wednesday as he was guarding a woman who turned state evidence on the ELA (Revolutionary Popular Struggle) urban guerrilla group in 2002. The woman, who was the wife of one of the ELA defendants, has been in the Witness Protection Program since 2002.

    The gunmen riddled the police officer with bullets at 6:20 a.m. as he was in his car guarding the witness, in the Athens district of Ano Patissia.

    Later reports said that at least two weapons were used in the attack, one of which was an automatic. Police said that the 23 cartridges collected are all of a 9mm diameter, and were being examined to see if the same weapon has been used in other recent terrorist attacks

    The victim has been identified as police sergeant Nektarios Savvas, married and the father of a young girl, who was serving in the counter-terrorism unit's operations division.

    The witness is guarded on a 24-hour basis, and Savvas had gone on duty at 6:00 a.m., taking over from the two colleagues who carried out the night shift, outside the home of the woman, who testified as a material witness at the ELA trial three days earlier.

    The officer had gotten a cup of coffee and took his place in the driver's seat of his car when, according to eyewitnesses, four hooded gunmen approached the car and fired more than 20 shots, fatally injuring him in the chest and head.

    The gunmen quickly fled on two motorcycles.

    A short while later, police cordoned off the area.

    Local residents said that they knew who the woman was, and saw the police guarding her, while they also said that she frequently circulated alone.

    Medical examiner Filippos Koutsaftis said the officer suffered multiple shots on his left side, including in the head, from very close range, as well as in the back, indicating that more than one weapon was used in the deadly attack.

    He said the victim died instantly, and apparently the incident took place very quickly and the officer was unable to react, as his service revolver was still in his belt.

    Koutsaftis declined further comment, saying he would have more to say after the post-mortem was conducted.

    Counter-terrorism police and crime scene investigators were combing the scene.

   

    Caption: Counter terrorism police officers collecting evidence from the crime scene in Athens on Wednesday 17 June 2009. ANA-MPA/SYMELA PANTZARTZI

   

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