Greek authorities are investigating a fatal shooting that took place Sunday afternoon inside the Domokos Prison, where a life-sentenced inmate, Antonis Papadatos, was killed in the prison’s main office.
The incident has raised serious questions about prison security, including how a firearm was brought inside one of Greece’s supposedly most secure facilities and why no surveillance cameras were present at the crime scene.
Police from the Homicide Division of the Organized Crime Unit traveled from Athens to conduct a preliminary investigation under the supervision of a public prosecutor. Investigators are reviewing testimonies and other evidence to reconstruct the events.
According to reports, Papadatos, serving a life sentence for a high-profile murder case, entered the main office armed with a pistol, intending to confront the head warden. At the time, two other high-security inmates were present: a Bulgarian life-sentenced prisoner convicted of murdering a businessman in 2018, and Alkët Rizai, known from a previous helicopter escape from Korydallos Prison.
The Bulgarian inmate allegedly disarmed Papadatos and shot him, resulting in his death. Authorities are examining this account while trying to determine how three dangerous inmates were in the office outside of their cells, which they were supposed to occupy at the time.
To access the main office, inmates must pass three security doors controlled by prison staff, meaning their presence there likely involved the warden’s authorization. The warden himself was reportedly in the process of resigning after a disciplinary review, raising further questions about administrative oversight.
The case has highlighted broader security gaps in Greek prisons. The Ministry of Citizen Protection has noted that a €4 million plan is underway to upgrade electronic security systems and prevent contraband, firearms, and drugs from entering prison facilities. Equipment procurement is currently in the tendering phase.
