Albanian national Jani Aliaj was stabbed to death on Monday inside the high-security Korydallos prison near Athens, Greek media reported, bringing to an end a blood feud that dates back to the early 2000s.

Aliaj had been at the center of a long and violent conflict with Elton Çiça, a feud that began about 25 years ago following a fatal stabbing in Greece. In mid-2000, in the village of Zhabakin, Aliaj killed 20-year-old E. Ballazhiu from Tepelena, a childhood friend of Çiça. After learning the identity of the attacker, Çiça vowed revenge. Aliaj was arrested by Greek authorities and held in pretrial detention.

About three years later, Çiça was also arrested in Greece and transferred to the same prison, Korydallos. There, the two clashed for the first time, when Çiça stabbed and wounded Aliaj during prison exercise time.

Years later, Aliaj was released on prison leave but failed to return and was declared wanted. Çiça was subsequently released as well. The feud then escalated into a series of assassination attempts. In January 2016, Çiça attempted to kill Aliaj in Tirana and later wounded him in a second attack in Gjirokaster. Aliaj did not cooperate with police in either case and refused to file complaints.

Following those attacks, Aliaj moved to Tirana, where he sought assistance from longtime acquaintance Renato Milloshi, who helped him navigate the capital. In May 2016, Elton Çiça was shot dead in Tirana, an attack that authorities later linked to the long-running feud.

Aliaj was killed inside Korydallos prison, reportedly stabbed by another Greek inmate. Greek authorities have launched an investigation into the killing.