Greek authorities have recovered the weapons ostensibly used in the assassination of 42-year-old Giannis Lalas, a figure repeatedly and prominently linked to organized crime in the country. Lalas was hit by multiple rounds fired by an assault rifle while on the terrace of a lodging in the south-central mountain resort of Arachova.

According to reports, Lalas was on an excursion with a companion and two other couples at the rented apartment when two masked gunmen ambushed him on the, firing several rounds from assault rifles, possibly AK-47s. Eyewitness accounts maintain that Lalas had taken no visible security measures, raising questions about how the attackers knew of his location.

The assailants escaped in a SUV later found burned a few kilometers away, along with the weapons used in the killing. Police sources say the vehicle had been stolen from Athens in early October.

Investigation Focuses on Contract Killing

Authorities are reportedly working on the assumption of a murder-for-hire in order to locate both the assassins and the moral instigator.

Lalas had reportedly warned authorities of suspicious activity targeting him, repeatedly seeking protection both before and after a prior assassination attempt in May, where his armored plated Mercedes was hit by multiple gunfire.

Lalas and his brother were previously arrested, charged and tried for gangland-style slaying of Greek journalist Giorgos Karaivaz in April 2021. Both were acquitted, nearly unanimously, by a mixed jurist-juror jury.