Gunman fires shots outside residence of Greek premier

ATHENS, Greece -- A man wielding a shotgun fired shots at the home of the Greek premier Saturday and was arrested after a gun battle with police, authorities said.

The gunman was injured, but no one else was hurt.

Costas Simitis was inside the building when the incident occurred, in a heavily policed area of central Athens. The entrance of the apartment block was damaged by one of the shots.

Police said they were not treating the incident as an attack on the premier's life but said it was not immediately clear if there was a political motive for the shooting.

The gunmen was identified as a 38-year-old Dimitris Aivatzidis.

Driving a rented car, Aivatzidis eluded police outside Simitis' apartment and was captured about 2 miles away after a chase through the city center.

"This was a very serious incident ... the investigation will be very thorough," government spokesman Christos Protopapas said.

Earlier Saturday, Aivatzidis had fired shots outside a drug treatment clinic and snatched a handgun from a guard at a police station near the premier's home.

Aivatzidis had gunshot wounds in the hand and wrist.