Adidas410s
01-12-2007, 11:07 AM
Police: Greece Embassy Blast 'Act Of Terrorism'
(CBS News) ATHENS, Greece An anti-tank shell was fired at the U.S. Embassy in Athens, Greece, early Friday, striking the front of the building on the third floor, breaking glass in nearby buildings, but causing no injuries or serious damage – even though the embassy was occupied at the time of the attack.
In the first minutes following the 5:58 a.m. attack, authorities were not sure of the nature of the explosion, but as officers examined the evidence at the scene, a senior police official pointed to evidence a rocket might have been involved and called the blast an "act of terrorism."
"There can be no justification for such a senseless act of violence," said Charles Ries, U.S. ambassador to Greece, who was not in the building at the time but raced to the scene to speak to reporters.
"We're treating it as a very serious attack," said Ries, adding that there was no warning. "We will determine what it is when we know (more)."
Greek police say they are "working closely with the embassy authorities."
Streets around the embassy compound were immediately cordoned off as police fanned out to search the surrounding buildings and streets for whoever and whatever launched the shell.
Investigators now say they have found what they believe to be the device used to fire the shell – apparently launched from a construction site near the embassy.
"This is an act of terrorism. We don't know where from. There was a shell that exploded in the toilets of the building... It was fired from street level," said Asimakis Golfis, chief of police for the Attica peninsula on which Athens is located.
The Greek Foreign Minister was quick to denounce the attack and express "the solidarity of the Greek people following this deplorable action."
"Such actions in the past have had a very heavy cost for the country - moral, financial and for the international standing of the country," said Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis, who visited the embassy after the blast. "The Greek government is determined to undertake every effort to not allow such phenomena to be repeated in the future."
Public Order Minister Vyron Polydoras said Greece "strongly condemns" the attack on the heavily guarded building. "We believe it is a symbolic act," he said. "It is an attempt to disrupt our country's international relations."
"It is very likely that this is the work of a domestic group," Polydoras continued. "We believe this effort to revive terrorism is deplorable and will not succeed."
Police are now attempting to determine the authenticity of phone calls made to a private security company, claiming that the militant Greek group Revolutionary Struggle is responsible for the attack.
Revolutionary Struggle's last major claim of responsibility came last May, when it said it was behind a bomb attack on Culture Minister Giorgos Voulgarakis, in which no one was injured.
According to the terrorist group database maintained by the Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism (MIPT) and funded by the U.S. government's Department of Homeland Security, authorities first became aware of the group Revolutionary Struggle [Epanastatikos Aghonas or EA] in 2003 when it was linked to a bomb attack on the Athens courthouse complex.
According to MIPT, Revolutionary Struggle embraces a socialist and somewhat anarchist philosophy, tends to target government buildings and officials and although apparently operating on a small scale, is considered to be "the most active" Greek terrorist group since the demise of the November 17th group.
The explosion smashed some of the glass in the front of the embassy, near the U.S. emblem on the building.
"I heard a loud bang - I didn't realize what was going on," said Giorgos Yiannoulis, who runs a kiosk near the embassy.
The U.S. diplomatic compound is located on a main street in Athens and has in the past been the site of demonstrations and protests, some of them aimed at the Bush administration.
Traffic came to a standstill across parts of central Athens, as police and emergency services scrambled to the embassy building.
The blast is the first major attack against a U.S. target in more than a decade, following the arrest of members of Greece's far-left November 17 terrorist group. The group was blamed for killing 23 people - including U.S., British and Turkish officials - and dozens of bomb attacks.
In 2003, a special court gave multiple life sentences to November 17's leader, chief assassin and three other members. Lesser sentences were given to ten others.
November 17 carried out a rocket attack against the U.S. embassy in 1996, causing minor damage and no injuries.
Several obscure militant groups have appeared since the November 17 members were arrested, and on three occasions in 2005, government ministries were bombed.
(CBS News) ATHENS, Greece An anti-tank shell was fired at the U.S. Embassy in Athens, Greece, early Friday, striking the front of the building on the third floor, breaking glass in nearby buildings, but causing no injuries or serious damage – even though the embassy was occupied at the time of the attack.
In the first minutes following the 5:58 a.m. attack, authorities were not sure of the nature of the explosion, but as officers examined the evidence at the scene, a senior police official pointed to evidence a rocket might have been involved and called the blast an "act of terrorism."
"There can be no justification for such a senseless act of violence," said Charles Ries, U.S. ambassador to Greece, who was not in the building at the time but raced to the scene to speak to reporters.
"We're treating it as a very serious attack," said Ries, adding that there was no warning. "We will determine what it is when we know (more)."
Greek police say they are "working closely with the embassy authorities."
Streets around the embassy compound were immediately cordoned off as police fanned out to search the surrounding buildings and streets for whoever and whatever launched the shell.
Investigators now say they have found what they believe to be the device used to fire the shell – apparently launched from a construction site near the embassy.
"This is an act of terrorism. We don't know where from. There was a shell that exploded in the toilets of the building... It was fired from street level," said Asimakis Golfis, chief of police for the Attica peninsula on which Athens is located.
The Greek Foreign Minister was quick to denounce the attack and express "the solidarity of the Greek people following this deplorable action."
"Such actions in the past have had a very heavy cost for the country - moral, financial and for the international standing of the country," said Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis, who visited the embassy after the blast. "The Greek government is determined to undertake every effort to not allow such phenomena to be repeated in the future."
Public Order Minister Vyron Polydoras said Greece "strongly condemns" the attack on the heavily guarded building. "We believe it is a symbolic act," he said. "It is an attempt to disrupt our country's international relations."
"It is very likely that this is the work of a domestic group," Polydoras continued. "We believe this effort to revive terrorism is deplorable and will not succeed."
Police are now attempting to determine the authenticity of phone calls made to a private security company, claiming that the militant Greek group Revolutionary Struggle is responsible for the attack.
Revolutionary Struggle's last major claim of responsibility came last May, when it said it was behind a bomb attack on Culture Minister Giorgos Voulgarakis, in which no one was injured.
According to the terrorist group database maintained by the Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism (MIPT) and funded by the U.S. government's Department of Homeland Security, authorities first became aware of the group Revolutionary Struggle [Epanastatikos Aghonas or EA] in 2003 when it was linked to a bomb attack on the Athens courthouse complex.
According to MIPT, Revolutionary Struggle embraces a socialist and somewhat anarchist philosophy, tends to target government buildings and officials and although apparently operating on a small scale, is considered to be "the most active" Greek terrorist group since the demise of the November 17th group.
The explosion smashed some of the glass in the front of the embassy, near the U.S. emblem on the building.
"I heard a loud bang - I didn't realize what was going on," said Giorgos Yiannoulis, who runs a kiosk near the embassy.
The U.S. diplomatic compound is located on a main street in Athens and has in the past been the site of demonstrations and protests, some of them aimed at the Bush administration.
Traffic came to a standstill across parts of central Athens, as police and emergency services scrambled to the embassy building.
The blast is the first major attack against a U.S. target in more than a decade, following the arrest of members of Greece's far-left November 17 terrorist group. The group was blamed for killing 23 people - including U.S., British and Turkish officials - and dozens of bomb attacks.
In 2003, a special court gave multiple life sentences to November 17's leader, chief assassin and three other members. Lesser sentences were given to ten others.
November 17 carried out a rocket attack against the U.S. embassy in 1996, causing minor damage and no injuries.
Several obscure militant groups have appeared since the November 17 members were arrested, and on three occasions in 2005, government ministries were bombed.