Dropped purse saved Athens mayor

The gunman fired several shots at Mrs Bakoyianni

Greek police are questioning a former mental patient over a gun attack on a car carrying the mayor-elect of Athens.

Dora Bakoyianni narrowly escaped serious injury when she bent down to pick up her purse as the gunman opened fire at point-blank range.

It's a big thing to be fine after this... I want to thank first and foremost God

Dora Bakoyianni, mayor of Athens

Mrs Bakoyianni's driver, Giorgos Liverios, was wounded in the neck in the attack, about 50 metres (55 yards) from the mayor's office, near the Acropolis.

Police say they arrested 35-year-old Giorgos Sandalis as he tried to escape from the scene.

The shooting raised concerns about security surrounding Greek officials and safety in the capital in the run-up to the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.

Mental problems

Mrs Bakoyianni, who is due to be sworn into office on 1 January, 2003, was cut by flying glass but otherwise unharmed.

"It's a big thing to be fine after this... I want to thank first and foremost God," she said afterwards.

Police say they have not been able to determine a precise motive for the attack.

The suspected gunman had a history of mental problems and had been treated in hospital in the past, police said.

Giorgos Sandalis' father, Argiris, said his son had "serious problems".

"I want to apologise to her [Mrs Bakoyianni]," Argiris Sandalis told Greek television.

Husband murdered

Mrs Bakoyianni, the daughter of former prime minister Constantine Mitsotakis, became the first female mayor of Athens after winning elections in October.

Her husband, Pavlos, was killed by the urban guerrilla group 17 November in 1989.

The group has been blamed for more than 20 killings - including those of several foreign diplomats - since 1975.

Police arrested several members of the group after a failed bomb attack last June.