Around 6 a.m. in central Athens Thursday, a bomb exploded outside the Bank of Greece headquarters. Nobody was reported hurt by the blast, although nearby buildings were damaged.
The explosion occurred before dawn and was preceded by two anonymous calls to news organizations, 45 minutes before the blast, 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 had been stolen a few days ago.
The blast came just 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.
Αcording to witnesses, an unknown man drove a Nissan car, which has been recorded as stolen, to Amerikis Street, where he parked before leaving on a motorbike.
Greek police are linking two renowned terrorists from disbanded terrorist group November 17, Christodoulos Xeros and Nikos Maziotis with the explosion, on account that they have executed such operations in the past.
Greece’s Prime Minister Antonis Samaras is meeting with Evangelos Venizelos at Maximos Mansion. They both condemn this terrorist action and made crystal clear that they will not allow terrorists to impose their own will and agenda.
The blast caused several thousand euros’ worth of damage to nearby stores and buildings.
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