Anti-terrorist unit's forensics officers search an apartment where a man was killed and a woman was seriously wounded in an explosion, in Athens, Greece, October 31, 2024.  REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis
Greece

Athens blast tied to home-made bomb

A deadly explosion caused by a home-made bomb in an Athens apartment on Thursday and authorities suspect it could be linked to local guerrilla groups, police and Greek officials said on Friday.

ATHENS (Reuters) - A deadly explosion in an Athens apartment on Thursday was caused by a home-made bomb and authorities suspect it could be linked to local guerrilla groups, police and Greek officials said on Friday.

Two guns, bullets, mobile phones and digital evidence have been confiscated from the site of the blast, which killed one man and seriously injured a woman, police said in a statement. The man killed has not yet been identified.

Police believe the evidence may link the case to anti-establishment guerrilla groups and suspect the blast occurred while the bomb was being made, a police official told Reuters.

"It remains to be seen if this was an attempt to revive a third generation of guerrillas," the official said.

Greece has a long history of political violence. Since its most lethal group "November 17" was dismantled in 2002, several other left-wing and anarchist groups have emerged, declaring war on all forms of governments.

Small bomb and arson attacks were frequent during the country's 2009-18 debt crisis, most of them targeting politicians, judges, embassies and businesses.

They have abated in recent years but still occur.

(Reporting by Renee Maltezou and Yannis Souliotis; Editing by Edward McAllister and Angus MacSwan)

Southern Europe battles wildfires as heatwave intensifies

Hurricane Erin weakens to Category 3 in Atlantic

Wildfires rage in Portugal and Spain amid summer heat wave

World Athletics to require gene test for female athletes

French voice of Ben Affleck fights to save dubbing in AI era