GREECE: Police intercept parcel bomb addressed to French President Nicolas Sarkozy

Record ID: 356413

  • Title: GREECE: Police intercept parcel bomb addressed to French President Nicolas Sarkozy
  • Date: 2nd November 2010
  • Summary: ATHENS, GREECE (NOVEMBER 1, 2010) (REUTERS) POLICE CLOSING OFF STREETS AROUND ENTIRE AREA WHERE BOMBS FOUND AND MEN ARRESTED POLICE ANTI TERROR SQUAD VAN AT SCENE POLICE GUARDING AROUND CLOSED OFF STREETS BOMB SQUAD WHERE THE OTHER BOMB AT THE NEARBY COURIER OFFICE TO BE DETONATED BOMB SQUAD OFFICER IN UNIFORM OPERATING BOMB EXPLOSION DEVICE AREA CLOSED OFF BY POLICE
  • Embargoed: 17th November 2010 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Greece
  • Country: Greece
  • Topics: Crime / Law Enforcement
  • Reuters ID: LVADMW9EXY3LTHJ1TH954OUOSZRB
  • Story Text: Greek police detonated in controlled explosions three makeshift bombs wrapped as parcels in Athens on Monday (Nov. 1), including one addressed to French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
    They launched an operation after a booby-trapped parcel exploded in a courier company office earlier in the day.
    The blast, at the Swift Mail offices in central Athens, injured one female employee with light burns to her hands, according a police report.
    One of the three further bombs was found at another courier company in the same neighbourhood and the other two in the possession of two men, who were arrested by police. The police said the suspects were wearing bullet-proof vests and carrying guns.
    Police said the parcel that exploded at Swift Mail was addressed to the Mexican embassy in Athens, and the bomb found and detonated at the other courier office was addressed to the Dutch embassy, while the two mail bombs found on the suspects were addressed to the Belgian embassy in Athens, and to French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
    One of the suspects arrested was previously wanted in connection with the domestic militant group "Fire Conspiracy Cells", which has carried out previous attacks, and was a suspect in a past bomb attack.
    In recent years there have been frequent bomb attacks in Athens, usually claimed by domestic leftist guerrilla groups, who have targeted police, businesses, banks or politicians.
    In June, a package bomb addressed to the minister in charge of the police forces, exploded at the Civil Protection Ministry, killing one of the minister's closest aides.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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