Explosion in Athens. A device left in a backpack blew up in front of the Ministry of Labour
A device exploded in the night from Friday to Saturday in front of the Ministry of Labor building in the center of Athens, without causing casualties, the Greek police announced on Saturday, AFP and News.ro report.
The explosion, which caused material damage, was preceded by an anonymous phone call to the Greek daily Journal des rédacteurs, according to the police statement.
One person warned that an explosive device had been placed in front of the Ministry and would be detonated 40 minutes later. The area around the building was cordoned off by police and the device was detonated at 01:29 local time (23:29 GMT), police said.
According to public television ERT, the device had been placed in a bag left in front of the gates of a bank near the ministry. The police have not yet issued any statement of responsibility.
However, attacks targeting public institutions, banks and diplomatic missions have been recurring in Greece for several years.
The investigation has been handed over to anti-terrorist services, according to police.
