Authorities believe bomb attack might have been carried out by an organised crime gang

The former Melbourne bikie leader Amad “Jay” Malkoun has been seriously injured in an apparent car bomb attack in Athens.

Malkoun, who was previously Victorian head of the Comancheros, was attempting to start his Mercedes outside a gym in the upmarket suburb of Glyfada on Friday when the blast occurred.

Four other cars were scorched during the explosion and the 56-year-old was rushed to hospital on Friday with serious but non-life threatening injuries.

The bomb blast went off close to where Sydney gangland figure John Macris was shot dead in October. It is not known if Friday’s car bombing was related, but security officials told a Spanish news agency the authorities believed the attack might have been carried out by an organised crime gang.

Malkoun, a convicted drug trafficker, has been living in Greece for two years after leaving Australia in 2013.

Witnesses said that when the bomb went off, two passers-by rescued Malkoun from the car, which was engulfed in flames. He is believed to have sustained extensive burns.

A police official said Malkoun was due to undergo surgery but added that health officials did not think his life was in danger.

The local media said investigators found residue of an explosive device that had been placed under the vehicle, raising suspicions that it was a targeted attack.

According to the Ekathimerini news source, it is unsure whether the explosive was detonated by the ignition or done remotely. The publication also reported that Malkoun’s car had Australian licence plates, while his driving licence had been issued by the United Arab Emirates.

When the bomb exploded, it sent fragments of the vehicle flying across a 150-metre radius.

Firefighters said that when they arrived at the scene, four other vehicles were also on fire.

Witnesses were reported as saying they heard multiple explosions, according to domestic media.

Police cordoned off traffic in the vicinity of the explosion.

Malkoun had been sentenced for his role in a drug syndicate in the 1980s, News Corp reported. He led the Victorian chapter of the Comancheros bikie gang from 2009 till 2013.

A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokeswoman said it was “providing consular assistance to an Australian man in Greece”.