Bomb Blast in Central Athens – Responsibility Claimed by Shadowy Terror Gang

An explosive device was detonated on the sidewalk of a main avenue across from Greece’s labor ministry in the early morning hours of Saturday in the heart of downtown Athens.

The blast erupted following a telephone call to warn of the bomb, made to an Athens daily (Efimerida ton Syntakton) just before 1 a.m., with the explosion coming roughly 40 minutes later.

No injuries were reported, only material damages, as the immediate area had been sealed off by police. The main roadway, Stadiou boulevard, was still cordoned off after dawn, with a bomb disposal unit collecting evidence.

The anonymous caller claimed responsibility on behalf of an outfit called “Revolutionary Class Self-Defense”, possibly another name or offshoot of any of a handful of self-styled anarchist and anti-state urban terror groups that have plagued central Athens for decades. Initial assessments hold that the ministry was the target, but without endangering lives.

Footage from CCTV cameras is now being scrutinized.

In a later comment on television, government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis referred to a serious criminal act.