Greek TV Journalist Who Covered Crime Gunned Down Outside Home

A Greek television journalist and blogger who wrote about organized, crime, corruption and the police was shot dead outside his home in an ambush by two men on a motorcycle who reports said may have used a silencer.

Initial reports were that Giorgos Karaivaz was shot at least six times in the southern Athens seaside neighborhood of Alimos as he returned home in the afternoon of April 9 after appearing on a show on Star TV.

He was found dead outside his car that was parked beside a small park near his home and four municipal workers pruning trees nearby reportedly saw the killing and said it appeared the work of professionals who drove up behind him.

Police launched a manhunt for the perpetrators who fled the scene immediately but there was no report initially on a possible motive. State broadcaster ERT said he covered organized crime and police corruption.

Karaivaz had worked for decades for Greek newspapers and broadcast media and ran his own website, www.bloko.gr.

“The murder of journalist George Karaivaz shocked us all.” said New Democracy government spokeswoman Aristotelia Peloni. “The authorities are already investigating the case in order to arrest the perpetrators and bring them to justice.”

"At the end they fired a gratuitous shot,” said CNN Greece.

The major opposition party SYRIZA, said “Once again we are witnessing a murder committed in daylight.”

The party's statement added that, “(Minister of Civil Protection Michalis) Chrysochoidis, under whose term we have seen an unprecedented outbreak of serious crime, must do the obvious: immediately solve the case and bring the perpetrators to justice.”

It was the first time a Greek journalist had been murdered in Athens since the still unsolved slaying of investigative reporter Sokratis Giolias in 2010. He was shot 16 times when he opened the door of his house after being lured with reports his car was being stolen, the site Documento had reported.

The newspaper Proto Thema said that 12 casings were found at the scene and that the killers didn't have face coverings during the brazen attack.

The assassination plot seems to have been organized and the paper said the killers knew his movements daily, indicating they had been tracking him to set up the shooting. He hadn't asked for police protection as he hadn't reported any threats, it was added.

Greek journalists union President Maria Antoniadou went to the scene and said there were 6,000 other journalists to investigate and find answers, the paper said.