Sawt Falasteen - Guard killed in gun attack on Albanian TV channel

The 60-year-old guard was in a booth outside the Top Channel headquarters in the capital Tirana when he was hit by a burst of gunfire from a passing SUV.

The police gave no motive for the attack, saying "the investigation is ongoing". But they said the attackers used a Kalashnikov rifle.

The SUV was found hours later on the side of the road approximately 40 kilometres (25 miles) away from the scene of the attack, where it had been set on fire.

Hours after the incident, Top Channel slammed the shooting, calling it an assault on free speech.

"The only goal of this unprecedented 'terrorist act' was to harm and attack the mission of free media and the power of the freedom of expression," the channel said.

Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama offered condolences to the victim's family and the staff at Top Channel, and called for "everyone's solidarity at this very worrying moment".

The US embassy in Tirana also condemned the shooting.

"We urge law enforcement to carry out a comprehensive investigation that will bring perpetrators to justice," the embassy said.

Albania was once infamous for illegal arms trafficking. More than a million Kalashnikov rifles were stolen from military depots during an uprising in the 1990s.

However, mass shootings and violent attacks on journalists are rare in the poor Balkan nation.

N.Awad--SF-PST