The name of Alket Riza, one of the most well-known figures in the underworld in Greece, appears in the file for the murder of a prisoner at Domokos prison, on February 15, 2026.
Rizai, who has been wanted since Monday after escaping from prison, is suspected of being present at the premises where Antonis Papadatos was shot dead with three bullets. His name has also returned to public attention after a shooting incident at a beach bar in Anavyssos.
According to Greek television SKAI, the case of Papadatos’ murder remains open. The head guard of Domokos prison, who was at the scene and was suspected of giving contradictory testimony during questioning, has also been arrested and remanded in custody in connection with the incident.
Meanwhile, evidence collected by authorities places Alket Rizai in the premises where the murder occurred, although he denies being there.
SKAI has published photographs from the crime scene for the first time, while a Bulgarian convicted of life imprisonment is accused of being the perpetrator of the murder.
The lawyer for the victim’s family stated that from the very beginning, the version given by the prison chief guard was contradictory to the evidence collected.
“From the beginning, the picture he gave was completely at odds with the evidence that immediately emerged and an arrest warrant was issued. What happened is that within seven minutes, a prisoner was released from the wing where he was being held and killed in the administration building,” she said.
According to reports, Alket Rizai is also suspected of being involved in the bloody incident. He denies being in the area where Papadatos was killed, but eyewitnesses place him at the scene of the crime.
In his testimony, a prison employee stated: “At one point I heard shots coming from the old warden’s office. I saw Alket Rizai come out first…”.
According to prison security camera footage, shortly before he was found dead with three bullets in the head, Antonis Papadatos is seen in the common area of sector D. He was talking to other prisoners and did not seem to be aware of what was about to happen.
A little later, the Bulgarian lifer appears in the sector. He asks Papadatos to come out of the cell and follow him. Papadatos follows him and the two walk through the prison corridors towards the head warden’s office.
According to the footage, Alket Rizai is also heading towards the same location at the same time, accompanied by several other prisoners, who are suspected of acting as his bodyguards.
In the administration premises, according to the report, Antonis Papadatos, the Bulgarian convict and the prison warden, was already waiting for Rizai.
In the footage, the head guard is seen greeting and hugging Rizai. Then, all together they appear to lead the victim to the head guard’s old office, the only area of the prison where there were no security cameras.
Inside this room, where there was no camera coverage, Papadatos was shot first in the back of the head and then with two more bullets in the face.
The Bulgarian convict, who later claimed responsibility for the murder, claims that Papadatos attempted to kill the head guard with a revolver he had hidden in his shorts. According to his version, he tried to grab the gun and during the struggle the gun went off, fatally wounding Papadatos in the head.
Following Papadatos’ murder, the incident appears to be being investigated by police and prosecutors more as a premeditated execution than as an act of self-sacrifice, contrary to the Bulgarian convict’s version. After the incident, he allegedly threw the gun on the floor and surrendered.
In his testimony, the head guard claims that during the incident he tried to hide and did not see what happened. He also stated that Rizai had left the premises a few minutes earlier.
The mayor’s lawyer, Dimitris Gavelas, said: “A warden was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was faced with a situation that, apparently, he could not prevent. I cannot give any interpretation beyond what is stated in the materials of the file. If my client claims that Rizai was not at the scene of the crime, I can do nothing but listen to what my client claims.”
Rizai himself denies any involvement in the events.
“I am clean and I am not afraid of anything. I was not inside the old warden’s office at the time the incident occurred. I had no reason to get involved in such a matter, not even for all the money in the world,” he declared.
However, according to reports, forensic experts found traces of blood on his shoes and traces of gunpowder on his clothing.
According to the report, the 47-year-old fugitive has not been charged with the murder and continues to be considered a witness in the case. Meanwhile, a request for release from custody filed in August by the prison’s chief guard, who is in custody, has been rejected.
As the days pass, the scenario is strengthening that Alket Rizai, known for his close connection with the much-wanted Vasilis Palaiokostas, may have fled to Albania.
Information that has reached the Greek authorities indicates that Riza’s last traces have been located in Northern Greece, from where it is suspected that he may have crossed illegally into Albania.
This version is not yet considered confirmed, but according to reports, it is one of the scenarios that is increasingly being considered by the authorities.