Knife attack on mayor not job related, initial police reports suggest

Elefsina Mayor Giorgos Tsoukalas had to undergo surgery Monday after being stabbed in the thigh by a 35-year-old former local authority employee, although investigators do not believe the attack was work-related.

The assailant was arrested shortly after walking into the town hall around noon on Monday and stabbing the mayor of the southeastern Attica municipality in the leg before running off.

Initial police reports indicated that the 35-year-old suffers from mental health problems and has been institutionalized in the past. The attack was condemned by the country’s political leadership and Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras in a statement.