IED trapped car explodes on road, one killed
- Written by E.Tsiliopoulos
At 7:30 a.m. Monday morning, December 29, on Attiki Odos in Athens, near the exit for Athens International Airport a Smart-model car exploded while in motion, resulting in the death of the 35-year-old Albanian driver and injuring the 26-year-old female passenger.
At first authorities believed a grenade might have exploded, for unknown reasons, but ultimately came to the conclusion that the car had been booby-trapped with an explosive device.
According to police, the incident was part of settling scores between members of organized crime, while it was stated that the 35-year-old driver was working as a bouncer in a nightclub. There was no evidence of a terrorist attack.
The Albanian man was driving to the airport with his girlfriend, rushing to make their flight to Tirana. When the explosion occurred, the car overturned, caught on fire and continued moving for a few more minutes until it came to a halt. Both passengers were rescued at the scene but the driver passed away while he was being transferred to the hospital.
According to media reports, three more cars piled on the vehicle after it exploded but no one was injured.
