Left-wing terrorism is still active in Greece, the Europol says in its “EU Terrorism Situation and Trend Report (TE-SAT) 2018” after evaluating incidents in 2017. In the same report, the Europol notes that left-wing terrorism is also active in Italy and Spain, even though to a lesser extend. Greece, Italy and Spain are the only EU member states still facing the threat of left-wing violence, the report underlines.
TE-SAT report excerpts
“In Greece left-wing and anarchist terrorist groups and individuals continued to have enhanced operational capabilities and access military-grade weapons. In 2017 eight attacks were carried out: six with the use of IEDs and two with the use of firearms. Furthermore, a total of 12 people were arrested on charges related to left-wing and anarchist terrorism.”
“Terrorists from Greece were behind two attacks that occurred in Germany and France. These were part of a terrorist campaign involving the sending of a total of ten victim operated improvised explosive devices (VOIEDs, specifically parcel bombs) occurred in March. One of the parcel bombs was addressed to the German Minister of Finance and was discovered and dismantled by the authorities in Berlin. A second was sent to the director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Paris and exploded in the hands of an employee causing light injury. Greek law enforcement discovered eight more parcel bombs at
the sorting centre of the Hellenic Post Office in Athens. Synomosia Pyrinon tis Fotias (Conspiracy of Cells of Fire) claimed responsibility merely for the VOIED sent to Germany.
In a similar attack in May, a parcel bomb exploded in the car of a former prime minister of Greece injuring him and two police officers. Militants of Organosi Epanastatikis Aftoamynas (Revolutionary Self-Defence Organisation) carried out two identical attacks against police
officers guarding the headquarters of a Greek political party in the centre of Athens. On both occasions the perpetrators shot at the police using an assault rifle. The first took place on 10 January and resulted in the injury of one police officer and the second on 6 November without causing any injuries or damage.
Two terrorist attacks were claimed by Omada Laikon Agoniston (Group of Popular Fighters) in 2017. On 19 April an IED exploded outside the central offices of a bank and on 22 December another device detonated in front of the building of the Athens appeals court. Both explosions were preceded by a warning call to newspapers.”
Food contamination
“On 19 December 2017 anarchists published threats on the internet to contaminate food products in Athens and Thessaloniki in Greece. An activist group claimed to have deliberately introduced hydrochloric acid in soft drinks, milk, sausages and sauces. A
post by user Green-Black Commando titled “Green Nemesis Act 3” on the Athens Indymedia website warned that the group had poisoned several drink products of multinational companies with hydrochloric acid and that they would be replacing the items on supermarket shelves shortly after. They also posted online photos showing the poison being injected into the products. Similar threats of food contamination in Greece were published by anarchists in previous years, in 2016 and 2013. Targeted are multinational corporations,” the report notes.
Of the 12 arrests, nine were Turkish nationals suspected members of DHKP-C.
In Italy there were 7 left-wing terrorism incidents and 11 arrests, while in Spain there were 7 incidents and 3 arrests.
The TE-SAt report makes lengthy reference to right-Wing Terrorism as well to terror acts committed by Jihadists.
EUROPOL TE-SAT report 2018
