A relative of Konstaninos Katsifas, who was murdered on Sunday in Albania claims the victim was shot twice in the chest at virtually point-blank range by the Albanian special forces. “It’s like he came out and said to them, ‘Here I am, I am not afraid, you can kill me if you have the guts’ and they killed him”, says Vangelis Vangitis, a relative of the 35-year-old victim.

His shocking statements came shortly after Albanian authorities allowed relatives of the victim to see the body at the morgue at Argyrokastro Hospital, accompanied by coroner Theodore Vougiouklakis and the lawyer Konstantinos Giovanopoulos. “He took two shots near the heart with clean wounds from a large calibre firearm. A powerful weapon from a short distance,” the Vangitis told Greek reporters in Vouliarates, pointing out that in his opinion, Kattsifas was murdered.
Vangelis Vangitis stressed he wanted to speak out in public to set the record straight and put an end to the misinformation of the last few days surrounding the death of the 35-year-old. “He was not hidden, in the bushes or behind rocks. Nothing. He sustained the wounds standing. He could see the murderers clearly.”
The incident has further strained the already rocky relations between Greece and Albania, with both governments summoning the respective Ambassadors for explanations.