World

Man attacks two tourists with knife near ancient Acropolis site

July 21, 2026 6:00 pm

[Source: Reuters]

A 60-year-old man attacked two Greek-American tourists with a ​knife in the Acropolis ‌area, near the archaeological site which hosts Greece’s famed ancient monuments, before being ​arrested by police.

The two victims, ​a man and a woman aged ⁠73 and 78 respectively, were ​offered medical aid and their injuries ​are not life-threatening, a police official said.

The attacker has been hospitalised in the past ​on mental health grounds, the official ​said, adding that he also had a ‌criminal ⁠record and had been arrested previously for possessing a knife.

“We just heard people screaming and a crowd running ​away, so ​we ⁠obviously took cover,” said Tracey Dewey, a visitor from ​Cape Town, South Africa.

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The rare ​incident ⁠occurred as Greece and its visitors brave the country’s first heatwave of ⁠the ​summer, its main tourism ​season.