- A man stabbed and injured two Greek-American tourists Tuesday morning near the ancient Acropolis in Athens, Greece's top tourist attraction, police said.
- The assailant attacked a man and a woman, both Greek Americans, with a knife near the entrance of the Acropolis Museum, which lies at the foot of the Acropolis hill.
- The woman suffered light injuries to the leg, while the man was more seriously hurt, with wounds to the arm, police said.
- The attacker was detained, while the two victims were transported to hospital by ambulance, authorities said.
- The identity of the attacker was not immediately clear, but police said he appeared to have been suffering from psychological problems.
- Violent street attacks are rare in Greece.
- The Acropolis hill hosts the nearly 2,500-year-old Parthenon temple as well as other monuments, attracting millions of tourists annually, with about 4.6 million people visiting the site last year.
A man stabbed two Greek-American tourists near the Acropolis in Athens on Tuesday morning, injuring a 73-year-old man and a 78-year-old woman. The attack occurred shortly after 8 a.m. local time, as the ancient site opened for visitors.1
The male victim suffered a serious wound to his arm, requiring a tourniquet, while the woman sustained lighter injuries to her leg. Both were transported to a nearby hospital, and their injuries were reported as not life-threatening.
The assailant, a 60-year-old Greek man, was detained at the scene. Police indicated he had a history of psychological problems and a criminal record, including previous arrests for knife possession. Witnesses reported that he had been randomly threatening passersby before the attack.
Despite the incident, the Acropolis and its surrounding sites remained open to the public, continuing to attract millions of tourists annually. Last year, approximately 4.6 million people visited the site, which includes the nearly 2,500-year-old Parthenon temple.7
This rare violent incident comes as Greece faces its first heatwave of the summer, with temperatures soaring to 38 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit) in Athens.
"We just heard people screaming and a crowd running away, so we obviously took cover," said a visitor from Cape Town, South Africa.
The motivation for the attack remains unclear, but police are investigating the assailant's mental health background.
“The 53-year-old male victim suffered a serious arm wound requiring a tourniquet, while the 48-year-old woman was lightly wounded in the leg. The attacker, who had a criminal record and prior mental health hospitalizations, was detained after allegedly threatening passersby with a knife.”
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