Ex Australian gang member targeted in bomb attack
The man who sustained serious injuries when an explosion tore through his car on Friday morning at an open-air car park in the southern Athens suburb of Glyfada has been identified as a 56-year-old Australian national who was a leading member of a criminal gang of bikers called the Comancheros.
The powerful blast occurred at around 10 a.m. as he tried to start his Mercedes car after coming out of a local gym.
It was not clear late on Friday whether the explosive mechanism placed on his car was detonated by the ignition or done remotely.
Police sources said the man’s driving license was issued by the United Arab Emirates, while his car’s license plates were Australian.
The man was being treated at the Asklipeio General Hospital in Voula for “serious” but not life-threatening injuries.
He was pulled out of the car wreckage moments after the explosion by either a passerby or one of his bodyguards as eye witnesses said.
The blast, which may have been caused by dynamite, occurred at 28 Vouliagmenis Avenue, prompting authorities to close both lanes of traffic in the area.The fire caused by the explosion spread to three adjacent cars.
The 56-year-old left Australia with his wife and two children in 2013 and moved to Dubai amid fierce internal warfare within the Comancheros. They arrived in Greece two years ago.
