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Strong explosion damages tax office in Athens

Jul 3, 2009, 5:12 GMT

Athens - A powerful home-made bomb exploded outside a tax office in central Athens early Friday, damaging nearby buildings but causing no injuries, reports said. The explosion also damaged a MacDonald's restaurant located in the same building, as well as nearby buildings and parked cars. Bomb experts were notified of the attack after an anonymous call was made to the Eleftherotypia and Ta Nea daily newspapers half an hour earlier. The caller did not claim responsibility on behalf of a specific group or organization. In a separate incident early on Friday, attackers threw gas cannisters at the entrance of the Institute of Migration Policy, located in central Athens. No injuries were reported. Greece has been plagued by daily bombings and arson attacks 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. 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 British police.

Europe News

Strong explosion damages tax office in Athens

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