A makeshift bomb exploded outside a court of Appeal in downtown Athens short time after 3 o’ clock on Friday morning. The bomb was left in a bag outside the court and caused serious damage in the building.
A police guard outside the court reportedly was shot when he saw two people climbing the stairs and leaving a bag outside the court and tried to stop them. The guard was not injured. Either the bullet failed its target or it was just a warning shot.
The shot against the police guard was confirmed by Justice Minister Stavros Kontonis.
Forensic examiners have found one cartridge outside the court.
Footage from security cameras and testimony from another guard show that the perpetrators were four and had come with a vehicle.
Short time after the explosion, police in nearby Exarchia district found an abandoned car that was set on fire. Skai TV reported hours later that the car was a Fiat mini van with fake license plates.
Two media outlets, a newspaper and a news website, had received warning phone calls before the explosion. Daily Efimerida Ton Syntakton that received one of the warning phone calls at 2:51 a.m. that anonymous caller warned the bomb would explode in 40 minutes and urged the evacuation of the two court buildings. “This is not a farce,” the caller said. A similar message was given to news website zougla.gr one minute earlier. “The bomb exploded at 3:25 within the time frame the caller had given,” the website notes.
Police rushed to the court, cordoned the area and halted traffic, while police officer with megaphones were warning residents to remain inside their homes.
It is worth noting that the court building is near the headquarters of the Greek Police.
So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
However, the attack took place just a few hours after the Greek Parliament voted in favor of a bill imposing penalties to protesters who gather regularly at the court and disrupt evictions and home foreclosures.
The explosion caused extensive damage, the court remains closed on Friday.
