Greek police apprehended a third individual on Monday, October 4 connected to last week’s explosion in central Athens, which authorities attribute to an alleged emerging domestic extremist group.
The 30-year-old woman turned herself in at Athens International Airport after being traced to Switzerland, according to officials.
The October 31 explosion, which occurred in a third-floor apartment in the Ambelokipi neighbourhood, killed a 36-year-old man suspected of assembling an explosive device. A 33-year-old woman was gravely injured and is currently hospitalised under police supervision, while a 31-year-old male suspect also surrendered to authorities.
“It was a monstrous bomb with concentrated explosive material,” Greek Minister of Citizen Protection Michalis Chrisochoidis told Skai television. “It would have caused great destruction, because it was very powerful.”
Due to severe damage from the blast, the apartment block has been deemed uninhabitable.
Chrisochoidis stated that those allegedly involved were young individuals seemingly aspiring to form a new wave of domestic terrorism in Greece.
As anti-terrorism units investigated the blast site, three other locations, and a seized vehicle, they recovered two handguns with loaded magazines, digital devices, disguise materials including wigs and rubber masks, and handwritten diagrams.
Greece has a history of left-wing extremist violence dating back to the 1970s, with multiple bombings and assassinations carried out by militants. Most prominent groups have since been disbanded, and incidents have diminished, with the most recent significant event being a bomb defusal near riot police headquarters in December 2023 after an anonymous warning.
“I think we are dealing with an attempt of some young people who are aiming to become a third generation of terrorism in Greece,” Chrisochoidis commented.
The investigation continues to determine the intended target and timing of the planned attack. All three suspects, along with the deceased man, are Greek nationals.
Source: AP News.
