A powerful explosion wrecked several cars in central Athens and damaged a courthouse and nearby buildings today, but no one was hurt, police said.
Police evacuated the area after a warning call to a local TV station before the attack, which damaged the facade of the court building, shattered windows and blew up at least eight cars. The blast was the most powerful in Greece in at least a year.
"An anonymous call to a TV station warned that an explosive device on a parked motorcycle outside the court house would go off in about 40 minutes," said a police official who did not want to be named.
Authorities believe a makeshift explosive device was placed on a motorbike parked outside the Athens courthouse. Flames followed the explosion, buildings shook and thick smoke covered the area.
"It was a huge blast. I was in the kitchen with my grandchild and the whole building shook. We saw smoke and flames," an elderly woman who lives about 50 metres from the courthouse told Flash radio.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Police suspect one of Greece's extreme leftist or anarchist groups which have stepped up attacks in the last two years.
"We condemn the action, there is no point in trying to change the world by risking the death of innocent people," Deputy Transport Minister Spyros Vougias told Skai TV. Greece has a decades-old history of leftist violence. Some groups became more
active after riots in December 2008, triggered by the police killing of a teenager. They usually target government buildings, police stations and banks, mostly at night, and make warning calls.
On January 17, 13 suspected members of the anti-capitalist Conspiracy Fire Cells urban guerrilla group go on trial. The group claimed responsibility for mailing parcel bombs to embassies in Athens and foreign governments abroad in November.
The police official said the fact that the caller gave a 40 minute warning along with the motorcycle's plate number indicated the perpetrators were not aiming to kill.
Authorities cordoned off the area for fear shattered glass may hurt passersby. Television showed firemen on emergency ladders checking if building facades were intact.
In September 2009, the strongest blast to date seriously damaged the Athens stock exchange. The Revolutionary Struggle group claimed responsibility.
Reuters