Athens News Agency: News in English, 05-12-12

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] Bomb blast outside ELTA on Syntagma Square

[01] Bomb blast outside ELTA on Syntagma Square

The three injured persons were taken to Erythros Stavros Hospital. Two of them have been released, while the third - more seriously injured - remains in hospital where he underwent surgery. However, his condition is not critical, according to doctors.

The strong explosion occurred at 6:08 a.m. on the corner of Mitropoleos and Nikis street, outside the ELTA branch, following a call at 5:40 a.m. by an anonymous caller to the Athens daily Eleftherotypia warning of an impending powerful explosion "at a ministry on Syntagma Square". The newspaper immediately alerted the Athens security police operations centre, which urgently alerted in turn the police guards outside the Finance ministry and cordoned off the wider surrounds.

The caller did not claim responsibility for the attack on behalf of any organisation.

As the wider area around the ELTA and next-door ministry were immediately cordoned off, no serious injuries resulted from the powerful explosion. Early reports said that two persons -- a man cleaning a store window and a woman passer-by -- were lightly injured by glass shards. Police said the explosion and ensuing soundwave shattered the windows of cars and shops and buildings -- as high as the 8th floor -- in the area.

Eyewitnesses told police that at 5:00 a.m. two young men left a fast-food delivery motorcycle outside the ELTA building. The home-made explosive device was hidden in the motorcycle's metal box in which food deliveries are transported.

According to the Fire Deparment's investigators, the mechanism did not appear to be connected to several propane cannisters which had been left out on the street near the spot of the explosion throughout the night. Exposed propane cannisters are usual in the area, as they belong to the shops and are left outdoors for pickup by companies that supply the shops with new cannisters.

The area continued to be cordoned as of late Monday morning as police bomb disposal experts and Fire Department experts combed the area for clues and evidence.

Two subsequent callers phoned Eleftherotypia after the explosion, but no claim of responsibility has been made on behalf of any group.

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