In his hometown, the Veria The funeral of the 19-year-old who was the victim of a brutal, murderous attack in the Thessaloniki.
A crowd holding white carnations is gathering at the Church of Saint Athanasius in order to pay their respects to the 19-year-old sports fan who was taken from us so unjustly.
The family and friends of the young man, who was taken from us too soon, are saying goodbye to their loved one, who died at midnight on Tuesday following a murderous attack against him and four other people.
His parents are tragic figures Alki, who arrived at the cemetery being supported by others, unable to believe that they would never see their child again, according to the voria.gr.
Wreaths in memory of the tragically lost Alkis were laid by the Aris Board of Directors, Super 3, PAE Aris, the Chief of the Hellenic National Defense General Staff Konstantinos Floros, the National Defense Fund, PAOK FC, Gate 13 of the Northern Suburbs and Gyzi, as well as local clubs and organizations, as reported by makthes.gr.
Flowers and notes at the murder scene
Since yesterday, dozens of citizens have been flocking to the site of the murder, as well as fans from other teams, to leave a flower and various items at the spot where Alkis was brutally beaten.
Among them was a handwritten note along with a PAOK scarf that an unknown person had left on the railing of the school located across the street from the spot where the 19-year-old was murdered.
«You’re not coming back. I’m never setting foot on a soccer field again. I’m sick of them. Hate them, and love your own ideas, not their tastes,» the note reads.
Who was the 19-year-old who was murdered?
According to Voria, The 19-year-old was living in Veroia at the time, his family’s hometown. His father is an Army officer who recently retired. Until high school, he lived in Faliro, Thessaloniki, and attended the 31st High School. He often visited the city, as he had maintained several friendships from his childhood.
Alkis was a student in the Department of Economics at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
The same reports indicate that the 19-year-old was an Aris fan who attended soccer and basketball games at the stadium, but was not known for organized group or fan activities, nor did he participate in clashes between fans.
The 19-year-old was walking with his friends when they were brutally attacked by a group of people who got out of two cars. They were first asked which team they were on, and then attacked, resulting in the young man’s death.
Three arrests
Late Tuesday night, officers from the Homicide Division brought the suspects in for questioning at the Thessaloniki Police Headquarters.
Those taken into custody were questioned about their possible involvement in the murderous attack—which, by all accounts, appears to have been motivated by fan rivalry—against the unfortunate 19-year-old.
The details of the autopsy
The circumstances of his death are indicative of the brutality and fury the perpetrators displayed toward their victim, as concluded by the autopsy performed on the 19-year-old at the Forensic Medicine Service of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
The victim sustained three wounds from a sharp object to both lower limbs, with no arterial laceration, and traumatic brain injuries, which together caused his death.
Police are collecting and analyzing video footage from the surrounding area, and because of the chaos that ensued at the scene, several witness statements paint a confusing picture regarding the exact number of perpetrators, which appears to be around 7–8 individuals. A sharp object was found at the scene, seized, and sent to the Forensic Laboratories for analysis to determine whether it was used in the attack.
Arrests and questioning of individuals associated with the fan base, along with ongoing witness statements and assistance from the Forensic Laboratories, have been mobilized so that the police can track down the perpetrators as quickly as possible, with the Security Division throwing all its resources into the swift resolution of this case.
The Background to the Murder
The murder took place on Theodoros Gazis Street, when an unknown number of individuals traveling in two vehicles attacked the three young men who were walking down the street. Authorities are investigating reports that the 19-year-old and his two friends were not attacked with a knife, as initially reported, but with a small sickle.
According to the report of thestival, A man who had been driving a white BMW got out of the car and walked toward the 19-year-old and his two friends. Before they could even realize what was happening, he said: “F*** your Ares, you b****,” and then began stabbing them with the knife. The 19-year-old was stabbed on the inner side of his leg, near the groin. The second young man sustained wounds to his head and chest. The third member of the group was stabbed in the buttock.
The Police's Official Statement
The official police statement reads: «In the early hours of this morning (February 1, 2022), in the Harilaou neighborhood, in an open-air area, a 19-year-old Greek national was fatally injured following an attack by unknown assailants.”.
Specifically, as the police investigation revealed, a group of individuals approached a group of young people and, after asking them which sports team they supported, attacked them with sharp objects and blunt instruments, and then fled the scene.
EKAB ambulances picked up the 19-year-old and two other people and transported them to a hospital in the city, where the first person was pronounced dead. Fifteen people were taken into custody, including a 27-year-old Greek national who was arrested for possession of a marine flare.
A team from the Northern Greece Sub-Directorate of Criminal Investigations arrived at the scene to examine the area. The Homicide and Personal Liberty Crimes Division of the Thessaloniki Security Directorate is conducting a preliminary investigation.
