Young man traveled from İskeçe to Athens with a hidden Kalashnikov

A 20-year-old man was arrested in the early hours of Thursday at the Kifissos intercity bus terminal after police discovered a Kalashnikov assault rifle and ammunition hidden inside his suitcase.

According to the Hellenic Police, authorities had received intelligence indicating that a young individual would be traveling from İskeçe to Athens carrying a military-grade firearm. Following the evaluation of the information, officers from the Department for Combating Illegal Trafficking and Trade of Objects set up a targeted operation at the Kifissos KTEL terminal, awaiting the arrival of the long-distance bus.

At approximately 1:00 a.m., the bus arrived in Athens. Police officers identified the suspect as he disembarked, carrying a black wheeled suitcase. After stopping and searching him, officers found an AK-47 Kalashnikov rifle inside the luggage, along with a magazine loaded with 12 rounds of 7.62×39 mm ammunition. A mobile phone with a SIM card was also seized during a body search.

Investigators said the suspect had allegedly acquired the weapon a few days earlier from an unidentified man of Albanian origin in a rural area of Pella, northern Greece. Video footage collected by police confirmed that the two men had met at a specific location, where the handover of the weapon is believed to have taken place. A subsequent search of the agricultural area did not reveal any additional weapons.

The suspect was brought before the Athens Public Prosecutor’s Office, which ordered his referral to the competent investigating judge. The seized firearm and ammunition will be sent to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations for forensic examination.