Athens - A strong explosion rocked a southern Athens suburb on Tuesday when unknown assailants set off a bomb at a Greek bank, causing extensive damage but no injuries. Reports said the pre-dawn attack against the branch of Eurobank in the district of Agrigroupoli startled residents who ran out of their homes in panic.
Police said the unknown assailants had placed a suitcase containing about 20 kilograms of explosives at the entrance of the bank. The building and cars parked nearby were damaged in the blast.
Bomb experts were notified of the attack after an anonymous call was placed to a local police station and the daily Eleftherotypia newspaper half an hour earlier.
The man did not claim responsibility on behalf of a specific group or organization.
According to reports, bomb experts had arrived at the scene just as four hooded individuals were fleeing the bank on motorcycles, threatening police at gunpoint to back off.
Earlier Tuesday, suspected anarchists set off smaller bombs at two state power utility buildings in Athens, causing damage but no injuries.
Greece has been plagued by daily bombings and arson attacks on banks and multinational businesses since the police shooting of a teenager in December 2008, which sparked the worst riots the country has seen in decades.
Officials believe the latest attack could be the work of left-wing militants which have carried out other attacks targeting police, banks, government buildings and a private television station.
A far-left wing group called Revolutionary Struggle claimed responsibility for the shooting of a police officer in January in central Athens. The group is best known for firing a rocket-propelled grenade into the US embassy in Athens in 2007.
The violence has embarrassed Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis' government, which has been criticized for its inability to protect citizens.
The government has vowed to crack down on the increasing violence and sought advice from Scotland Yard.
