On Sunday morning, November 16, four men arrested for the murder of 42-year-old Giannis Lalas are expected to be brought before the Prosecutor at Evelpidon Court. It should be noted that Giannis Lalas was killed in an ambush on the evening of November 1st at the hotel where he was staying in Arachova.
Among those arrested are two criminals and one Greek expatriate. One of the criminals is a person who has frequently appeared in police reports for his activities and is considered one of the “powerful” players of the so-called “Greek Mafia“. During raids on the suspects’ homes in central Athens, Chalandri and Kavala, police discovered weapons and a large sum of money. Mobile phone devices have already been confiscated and will be sent for analysis.
Giannis Lalas’s connection to “Edik”
Giannis Lalas is believed to have belonged to the group of a Georgian expatriate nicknamed “Edik,” who is currently in Dubai. Authorities are investigating whether their relationship had deteriorated, with sources not ruling out that “Edik” may have ordered the assassination.
It should be noted that last May there was an attempted murder against Lalas, however it appears that the perpetrators of that specific attack are not the same as today’s arrestees. Despite the evidence authorities had at the time, it was insufficient to proceed with arrests.
The murder of Giannis Lalas
The 42-year-old had gone to Arachova with his partner for the weekend, while the perpetrators apparently followed him and killed him in cold blood when he stepped out onto the hotel balcony. As has become known, the moment the victim stepped out onto the chalet balcony to talk on the phone, the executioners who had set up an ambush approached him and began shooting him initially from behind, while it appears he also received bullets from the front, without having time to react. The execution appears to have been carried out with two weapons, a Kalashnikov and a nine-millimeter pistol.
A short time later, about one kilometer away from the chalet, a vehicle was found in flames. After the murder, the perpetrators left with their car and traveled a distance of about 20 minutes, heading towards Livadi. At some point they set the vehicle on fire and then moved away with another car or motorcycles.
