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)

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