Tourist couple stabbed near Athens’ Acropolis in apparent random attack

A man stabbed and wounded two tourists Tuesday morning near the ancient Acropolis in Athens, Greece’s top tourist attraction, police said, in what appeared to be a random attack.

The assailant, identified only as a 60-year-old Greek man, attacked a Greek American couple with a knife on a pedestrian street near an entrance to the archaeological site and near the entrance to the Acropolis Museum, which lies at the foot of the Acropolis hill.

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The 53-year-old male victim suffered a serious wound to his arm which required a tourniquet to be applied, while the 48-year-old woman was more lightly wounded in the leg, police said. Both were transported by ambulance to a nearby hospital. Neither of their injuries was reported to be life-threatening.

The attacker was detained at the scene and was to appear in court before a prosecutor later Tuesday to be formally charged, police said. Authorities did not provide further details on his identity, in line with Greek law regarding the identification of suspects. The motivation for the attack was not immediately clear, but police said the assailant appeared to have been suffering from psychological problems.

The incident did not lead to any closure to the sites, which continued operating as usual. Greek media reported that the assailant had allegedly been randomly threatening passersby with a knife, and that police had been alerted by a member of the public.

The attack occurred shortly after 8 a.m. local time, just as the ancient site opened. Early morning visits to the Acropolis are popular as they avoid the intense midday summer heat on the exposed hill, where there is little shade. Greece is currently experiencing its first heat wave of the summer, with temperatures forecast to reach 38 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit) in Athens and 41 degrees Celsius (105 degrees Fahrenheit) in some parts of the country.

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Violent street attacks are rare in Greece. In April, authorities arrested an 89-year-old man who allegedly opened fire with a shotgun in a social security office and a courthouse in central Athens, wounding at least four people, reportedly over social security grievances.

The Acropolis hill in Athens hosts the nearly 2,500-year-old Parthenon temple as well as other monuments, and attracts millions of tourists. Last year, about 4.6 million people visited the site.