Alket Rizai is on the run again: the police admit that he has already left Greece

Alket Rizai, one of the most famous prisoners in Greece, was wanted again: after 16 vacations without violations, he was given a 17th – and this time he did not return to Domokos prison.

Rizai was supposed to return to the correctional facility after the end of his authorized leave, but did not appear at the appointed time. As stated by the representative of ΕΛ.ΑΣ. Constantius Dimoglidou, he is wanted throughout the country, and the police do not rule out that he could have already left Greece. According to ERTnewscompetent advice was provided to Rizai 16 holidays from January 29, 2021 to September 7, 2026and on all previous occasions he returned on time.

“Escape after vacation”: Alketa Rizai is being searched throughout Greece and is being linked to the shooting in Anavissos pic.twitter.com/XiwN7ra7FU

— Athens News (@russianathens) September 16, 2026

Just didn’t come back this time

In the current story there is no Hollywood operation, no helicopter over the prison, no armed accomplices. The state itself opened the gates for Rizai, giving him legal leave, after which all that remained was to wait for his return.

But he didn’t return.

The very fact of previous vacations formally spoke in favor of the administration’s decision. Since 2021, Rizai has been regularly released from prison and, until the current case, complied with the obligation to return. But if you look not only at the last five years of good behavior, but at his entire biography, the system’s faith in such a prisoner looks much less convincing.

2006: first helicopter escape

The first famous escape took place June 4, 2006. The helicopter landed right in the yard of Korydallos prison and took away Vasilisa Paleokostas and Alketa Rizaya. The pilot was reported to have acted at gunpoint.

Rizai was detained several months later. It would seem that after such an episode the prisoner’s name should have forever fallen into a special risk category.

2009: the same trick was repeated again

However February 22, 2009 history repeated itself almost literally. Paleokostas and Rizai were again in Korydallos and were due to stand trial for a previous escape.

On the eve of the meeting, a helicopter appeared over the prison again. The car hovered over the territory, a rope ladder was lowered – and the same two prisoners flew to freedom again. This escape became one of the most notorious failures of the Greek penitentiary system.

After the second escape, Rizai was again detained and returned to prison.

2013: third escape attempt and hostages

The story didn’t end there. In March 2013 In the Malandrino prison, Rizai made another attempt to gain freedom – this time without a helicopter.

He took prison staff hostage and demanded they provide him with a safe exit. Six hostages were initially reported; one managed to free himself, after which negotiations continued for almost a day. Rizai claimed that he had a grenade and explosives, but after the surrender it turned out that he did not have real explosive devices on him.

It turns out to be a rather revealing biography: two successful helicopter escapes and another escape attempt involving prison staff being taken hostage.

And then the holidays began

And here the story takes on an almost grotesque tone.

Despite all of the above, with January 29, 2021 Rizai began receiving authorized leaves from prison. Until September 2026, sixteen such exits had accumulated. Formally, without violating the obligation to return.

But already the very first vacation of 2021 was accompanied by an episode that could hardly be called calming. During a random police check in Lamia, Rizai was found in the passenger seat of a black BMW with tinted windows. He was indeed free completely legally – as part of a five-day vacation.

However, in the same car, the police found a man who was wanted in the case of murder and attempted murder. The driver of the car was also known to law enforcement agencies. This was reported in.gr and other Greek media.

Rizai himself did not formally violate anything then and returned to prison. The practice of vacations continued.

So the system gradually accumulated impressive statistics: one vacation, a second, a third – and until the sixteenth, everything went well.

And then the next one came.

And the man who twice flew out of prison by helicopter disappeared again.

Possible connection to Anavyssos shooting being investigated

The investigation into an armed incident in Anavissos. According to the police, analysis of video materials gave reason to assume the presence of Rizay among the participants in the incident.

The investigation is checking his possible involvement in the shooting, but at the moment we are talking about the version under investigation, and not about the judicial conclusion that has entered into force.

Now they can look for him outside of Greece

ΕΛ.ΑΣ. is conducting a search throughout the country. At the same time, the police do not rule out that during his absence Rizay managed to cross the border, so the information is also transmitted to the relevant foreign services.

The irony is that in 2006 and 2009, the escape of one of the country’s most famous prisoners required helicopters, armed accomplices and an operation worthy of a crime film. In 2026, everything turned out to be much simpler: he was simply allowed to go out on his own.

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