Greek prime minister condemns bomb attack on parliament

Sun, 10 Jan 2010

Athens - Greek Prime Minister Giorgos Papandreou vowed that "democracy cannot be terrorized" Sunday, after visiting the scene of a bomb explosion outside the parliament building in Athens. The powerful explosion shook the center of the capital Saturday evening, although there were no injuries and little physical damage.

A warning had been telephoned through to a leading Greek newspaper 10 minutes before the blast.

The bomb was of medium strength and placed in a rubbish bin left in the small ornamental garden outside the front of the parliament, police confirmed Sunday.

The authorities believe one of a number of small, leftist or anarchist groups will have been behind the attack.

"Democracy cannot be terrorized," Papandreou said after himself visiting the scene of the blast.

According to the Minister for Civil Defense, Michalis Chrysochoidis, targeting the parliament building was a "symbolic act", but he vowed the "perpetrators will be held to account."

Later Saturday evening, after the blast, a number of fake bomb alerts were phoned in to the authorities.(1800 GMT).

Police had already cut off traffic and cleared the area after an anonymous caller contacted the Greek daily Eltherotypia newspaper ten minutes before the detonation of the bomb.

Since police killed a 15-year-old demonstrator in December 2008, the Greek capital has been beset by violent protests and multiple bombings against police stations, banks and state agencies.

The violence over the last year has left one policeman dead in the last year and seven more wounded, some seriously. Police stations, vehicles and banks have been common targets of attacks.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/302918,greek-prime-minister-condemns-bomb-attack-on-parliament.html.