05/05/2004

Athens police station damaged by triple blast

A police station in the Greek capital of Athens has been rocked by three bomb explosions, just 100 days before the city is due to host the Olympic Games.

Three homemade devices went off next to a police station in the Kalithea district. The explosions caused extensive damage to the police station and a police officer was slightly injured. The blasts also shattered the windows of nearby flats.

The blasts all occurred within 30 minutes and happened after an anonymous call to a newspaper in the Greek capital.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, although suspicion is likely to fall on groups linked to the extreme left-wing November 17 terrorist network. The group’s leaders, who had been blamed for a string of killings and attacks, including the murder of British diplomat, Stephen Saunders, in Athens in June 2000, were jailed last year.

The attacks have raised serious concerns about the security for the summer Olympic Games, which Athens will host this year. The blasts occurred in the central Athens area of Kalithea, which is home to several hotels, which are due to be used by Olympic officials during the Games in August. It is feared that the high profile of the Games – the first to be held since the attacks on New York, Washington, Bali and Madrid – could make Athens a terrorist target.

The Greek Authorities have spent over £800 million on security measures for the games.

(KmcA)

Related UK National News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

25 March 2004
Olympic torch lit in Athens as Games countdown begins
The countdown to the Athens 2004 Olympic Games began today with the lighting of the Olympic flame in ancient Olympia, Greece. The lighting ceremony featured a high priestess who lit the Olympic flame in the Temple of Hera using a parabolic mirror to capture the sun’s rays and ignite an Olympic torch.
19 June 2012
Right-To-Die Legal Challenge Begins At High Court
The right-to-die case of Tony Nicklinson begins today in the High Court. Mr Nicklinson, 58, has locked-in syndrome after suffering a stroke and wants a doctor to be able lawfully to end his life. Unable to take his own life he is seeking legal protection for any doctor who helps him end his life.
22 August 2005
Cypriot airliner depressurised and out of fuel
Crash investigators have confirmed that preliminary findings indicate that the Cypriot airliner, which crashed on August 14, had depressurised and had run out of fuel when it crashed.
20 August 2004
Kayak run takes Britain's silver tally to four
On day seven of the 2004 Olympic games in Athens, Campbell Walsh competing in the K1 Kayak final was dramatically promoted from bronze to silver. Officials decided to penalise French competitor Fabian Lefevre over a technical problem regarding a timing error, the decision promoted Walsh to Silver and dropped LeFevre down the final ranking.
02 April 2004
Nato to provide security for Euro 2004 and Athens Olympics
Nato will provide security for Euro 2004 and the Athens Olympics under proposals ratified today by alliance governments. The organisation made the pledge at its North Atlantic Council meeting, which brings together the foreign ministers of alliance governments, in Brussels today.