Mystery Over Murder of Five Greek Hunters

Police were last night trying to solve the apparently motiveless murders of five hunters shot dead at the weekend while pursuing their hobby in the plains of south-western Greece.

The men, aged between 17 and 33, appeared to have been killed execution-style. Each bore two or more gunshot wounds. They were found near a dirt road in a field outside the farming town of Agrinio with their hunting rifles nearby.

"They were shot at both long and close range," said Vasillis Tsiatouras, the inspector general of the regional police force, who is in charge of the inquiry. "This is an unprecedented criminal act. I've never experienced anything like it."

Releasing their first findings from the scene of the crime, police said the five victims were found within a distance of 70-100 metres from each other. They identified the men, who were all related, as Christos, Vasillis and Alexis Nikolopoulos, Lambros Antressas and Ilias Pipas. "Their hunting rifles and mobile phones were found next to them," said Mr Tsiatouras.

Alexis Nikolopoulos, the youngest member of the group, had tried to make a phone call to his father before the connection was cut. Investigators said it was clear that the young man, who worked as a butcher and attended night school, had attempted to escape before he, too, was shot dead.

A search team was sent to scour the area after the teenager's father failed to make contact with either his son or the other hunters. "We believe they were killed by more than one person," said Mr Tsiatouras, adding that forensic scientists had begun conducting DNA tests for clues about the perpetrators.

A cousin of one of the victims told television reporters: "Whoever did this really wanted them to die. It was so cold-blooded. Maybe they saw something they shouldn't have seen, because no one in our village can see why anyone would want to settle any score with them."