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Emergency services at the site of the attack in the center of Athens
Photo:
Nefeli Nomikou / SOOC / AFP
An explosion rocked the center of the Greek capital Athens early Saturday morning. The device exploded near a bank and the Ministry of Labor, Greek broadcaster ERT reported. There were no injuries, the police said. However, the facade of the ministry and other surrounding buildings suffered significant damage and window panes were broken.
An anonymous caller had warned a newspaper in Athens about 40 minutes before the attack that a bomb had been planted at the ministry. The newspaper informed the police, who were then able to close the street and cordon off the area in good time, the Athens police department said.
As ERT further reported, the explosive device was placed in a bag in front of the gate of a bank near the ministry. Anti-terrorism experts are currently investigating the crime scene. The anonymous call to the newspaper mentioned a previously unknown guerrilla group that had claimed responsibility for the attack, according to police sources. The group calls itself “Revolutionary Self-Defense of the Classes.”
Smaller attacks again and again
Greece has a long history of political violence. In recent years there have been repeated small bomb and arson attacks on public institutions, banks or diplomatic missions, usually without major damage. The government nevertheless said it was concerned about the incident. "The attack is very serious and has to do with a serious crime," government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis told the Open TV channel.
Autonomous and left-wing underground organizations have repeatedly carried out similar attacks in recent decades. According to the groups, this is about the overthrow of the state and social injustice in the country.
taf/AFP/dpa/Reuters