Two of the suspects accused of carrying out the contract killing of Lalas are also implicated in the attempted murder of a 34-year-old man in Pangrati last September. At the time, the two men had ambushed their target after arriving on Leagrou Street in a BMW that had been rented.

The investigation into the vehicle, a dark-colored BMW, led officers to a familiar name from past controversies. The car had been rented by Manolis Petsitis — once a close associate of former SYRIZA minister Nikos Pappas and a figure who, in earlier years, moved in and out of the Maximos Mansion with the ease of an adviser, friend, classmate and “man for special missions.” Police are now trying to establish how the BMW ended up in the hands of the suspects and how it became the means of transporting would-be assassins to the scene of a crime.

With Petsitis’ name appearing in the case file, it is considered likely that he will be called to provide explanations to clarify the circumstances surrounding his involvement.

Two cases, one set of suspects

The attempted murder in Pangrati and the killing of Lalas in Arachova are directly connected: the perpetrators are the same individuals, whose paths had crossed before. According to the police investigation, the 34-year-old targeted in Pangrati had worked briefly between late 2023 and early 2024 at a fuel company in which Lalas held a stake. He was also listed by authorities as a “hooligan” and was required to check in with police regularly. He escaped with relatively minor injuries after managing to flee into an apartment building entrance. Lalas, however, was shot dead when he stepped out onto the balcony of the Arachova rental where he was staying with his partner and another couple.

The 42-year-old is believed to have been part of the close circle of associates of a figure linked to the Greek mafia who was murdered last April in Chalandri. The perpetrators — known as “Russo-Pontians” — were already on law enforcement’s radar due to previous cases. Although the hit squad responsible for Lalas’ killing has been identified, the person who ordered and financed the contract remains unknown.

The questions now facing investigators

The key issue for police is how the suspects gained access to a vehicle rented by Manolis Petsitis and what their relationship with him may be. Petsitis had long cultivated a wide network of contacts — including police officers — and had served as the tax representative in Greece for Cypriot law firms during SYRIZA’s time in power, particularly between 2016 and 2018.

His name and phone number had also been found in the electronic notebook of murdered former police officer Spyros Papachristos, who was gunned down outside a tavern in Kantza. That killing is considered part of the ongoing cycle of violence within the Greek mafia, though both the perpetrators and those who ordered the hit remain unidentified.