The pieces of the puzzle of what exactly happened on Monday in the shipping company European Navigation in the south suburb of Athens, Glyfada, in Greece, the investigators trying to connect in order to shed light on the exact reasons that armed the shooter’s hand and got him to the point of taking the lives of three people – and, soon after, ending his own.
The motives of the 76-year-old Egyptian “Aris”, former employee of the Karnessis shipping family company, are being sought by the authorities in order to identify what prompted his hand to kill the shipowner Maria Karnessi, the CEO Antonis Vlassakis and the captain Elias Koukoularis, before he himself ended his life.
To remind, the person involved in the incredible tragedy is reportedly a former employee, of Egyptian origin, who worked for the company and according to information was fired on 31.3.2023.
The attacker himself – armed with a shotgun and a revolver – went to the company on Monday and killed the three people and shortly after he committed suicide in the company’s basement.
At the same time, Despina Karnessi, the sister of Maria Karnessi is a key figure for the authorities to shed further light on the case and the 76-year-old’s motives. Her testimony is considered particularly pivotal for the development of the investigations.
The statement issued on February 13 by the shipping company, European Navigation, provides answers to some questions and sheds light on some points of the case.
The company’s statement points out that the 76-year-old had not only received a sizable amount of money, 74.862 euros at the time of his dismissal from the company, but as it is stressed “the killer had no financial need since he had bank accounts with particularly large cash reserves.”
At the same time, the 76-year-old had deposits of 500,000 euros. The lawyer of Despina Karnessi, Ioannis Iriotis said to mega tv yesterday and to journalist Iordani Xasapopoulo that “he had been fired in March 2023, he had received compensation of 75.000 euros, and had 500,000 in a bank account in Greece.”
“With 500,000 euros 75-year-old, what to worry about?” the lawyer added.
There are also unconfirmed reports from various local media that there was a bank account in a Swiss bank “with a large amount.”
The existence of this amount it raises questions about why the Egyptian proceeded with the murder, when he has such an amount.
In the rumours that Maria Karnessi asked him to evacuate the house that belongs to her, and maybe was one of the reasons that armed the shooter’s hand, the company gave a clear answer, pointing out that “the company or Maria Karnessi had never given to the killer a house to live in Glyfada, especially when the house mentioned on Tsitsani Street number 16 does not belong either to the deceased Maria Karnessi or to the company. For these reasons it is not possible that Maria Karnessi told him to vacate it.”
From what it is know from the company the Egyptian provided his services as a caretaker at the estate of another member of the Karnessi family in Petalious, a place which no one of the people who lost their lives, and Despina Karnessi had no connection whatsoever.
As it was revealed from the testimonies the Egyptian shot the captain in the back. Shocked, the captain’s son-in-law described on tv camera on Monday outside the company’s building how his father-in-law lost his life. “The thug entered the office of the owner’s son-in-law. My father-in-law Elias Koukoularis jumped to get his rifle and the 76-year-old pulled out a pistol and hit him on the back.”
