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Bomb Explodes Outside Athens' Bank of Greece HQ

Bomb Explodes in Central Athens

Around 6 a.m. local time, a bomb exploded outside the Bank of Greece headquarters in central Athens. The loud explosion was heard in the surrounding areas and caused considerable damage, but no injuries have been reported.
The explosion occurred before dawn Thursday and was preceded by two anonymous calls to news organizations warning that a bomb had been planted in a car outside the central bank offices. The caller said that “there were 75 kilos (150 pounds) of explosives” in the car that was stolen a few days ago.
Police blocked access to the area around the otherwise-busy Amerikis Street, while an investigation into the motives and people behind the explosion is underway.
The blast came hours before Greece plans to return to bond markets for the first time after a four-year international bailout program that has brought unprecedented austerity to the country.
Police sources mentioned that Christodoulos Xeros of the (now disbanded) terrorist group 17 November tops the suspects’ list because he is one of the few people who have the know-how for such a terrorist attack.
Xeros prompted a nationwide manhunt after absconding during leave from a high-security prison. He was convicted in 2003, along with two of his brothers, of belonging to the November 17 group and had served 10 years for involvement in a series of shootings and bombings. An Internet statement posted on Jan. 20, purportedly written by him on Jan. 14 rails against the Greek financial crisis and the austerity measures continuing to be imposed by the government.
November 17, which mixed Marxist ideology with nationalism, killed 23 people — including British, American and Turkish diplomats and military officials — before being broken up after a string of arrests in 2002.

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