Turkish suspect in betting store owner’s murder had asylum claim rejected

A 37-year-old Turkish man who allegedly confessed to the murder of a 61-year-old betting store owner in Palaio Faliro, southern Athens, on Tuesday, had his asylum claim definitively rejected on October 22, 2024, according to the Migration Ministry.

Ministry sources revealed that his application had been rejected in June 2024 by the asylum authority. The suspect had entered the country illegally and submitted his asylum request while being held in administrative detention at the Amygdaleza detention center.

The 39-year-old was arrested on Thursday after attempting to cash a stolen winning lottery ticket worth €4,700 at another OPAP store in Omonia in downtown Athens. He had reportedly snatched the ticket from the victim's store during the altercation that led to the older man's death.

When the ticket was scanned by the clerk at the Omonia betting shop, it...