Car Bomb Explodes in Athens (NTD Television)
A local television station, Alter, received a warning call before the attack and police evacuated the area several minutes before the explosion.
“An anonymous call to a TV station warned that an explosive device on a parked motorcycle outside the courthouse would go off in about 40 minutes,” a police official said, according to Reuters.
The explosion, the most powerful Greece has seen ina year, damaged the façade of the Court of First Instance building, as well as buildings nearby, and wrecked at least eight cars.
The composition of the bomb is unknown, but considering its force and the thick smoke and flames, police presume that the bomb was made with Ammonium nitrate fuel oil (ANFO) and TNT, according to Athens News.
No one has claimed responsibility but suspicion is falling on one of the country’s extreme leftist or anarchist groups, which have launched attacks over the past two years.
Attacks on government buildings, banks, and police offices, which are often preceded by phone call warnings, have become more frequent since December 2008, when a teenager was killed by police, triggering riots.
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