Terrorism in Greece: the war on cops

ELA, the Revolutionary People's Struggle leaves calling card one again:

Reuters: "Gunmen kill Greek anti-terrorist policeman"

Leftist urban guerrillas shot dead a Greek anti-terrorism policeman in Athens on Wednesday in the worst attack since riots in December launched a wave of bombings and shootings in Greece.(...) "It was a cold-blooded murder ... they just drew their guns and murdered him," police spokesman Panagiotis Stathis told reporters at the scene. Leftist and anarchist groups have unleashed a series of attacks against police, political and business targets since a policeman shot dead a teenager in Athens in December, triggering Greece's worst riots in decades. (...) >>>

June 18, 2009
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De Pers has more details than most:

De Pers: "Bob Blasts Bank in Athens" (free interpretation)

A forceful blast ripped through a Eurobank branch office in an Athens suburb in Tuesday, causing widespread damage. No one was hurt in the attack. The police was tipped off 10 minutes before the blast. A police unit on surveillance happened upon the attackers shortly after. They stopped four men on motor cycles carrying machine guns, who yelled: "Move out of the way otherwise a bloodbath will take place here. The four attackers got away. No one has claimed responsibility for the assault as yet. >>>

May 12, 2009
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Our correspondent, Ioannis Michaletos is commenting as follows: This IED is a rather complicated device and highly lethal if exploded. It resembles the same method of the IRA, ETA but also Islamic organizations. All experts in Greece agree about a definite connection with the Middle East with possible "executive organs" for the Balkan mercenary market.

I stand with the same conclusions I have made since early December. Moreover the bomb was about to explode the same day the Greek PM was about to meet with Obama's representatives. Therefore the ones planting the bombs were aiming at damaging Greek-American relations.

Lastly, according to a Greek daily, just a few days before the incident "an ex American diplomat was at the center of an illegal exchange with a Hezbollah agent in Athens, specifically in the house of the former in Plaka. A group of Greek and American agents stopped at the last moment a transaction between the two that most probably involved money and documents. No further data were released or an official report by the authorities".

In the Serbianna blog on the 9th of December I mentioned around "Renegade Western intelligence agents working with Islamic figures for financial gains. The situation is still in flux, but it is more than certain that it is related with developments in the Middle East ...

Stratfor Global Intelligence: "Greece: A Dud IED and Lessons Learned"

A nonfunctional improvised explosive device recovered outside a Citibank branch in Athens is likely a sign of an inexperienced bombmaker. Nevertheless, if this person is not identified and captured, future devices may prove to be more reliable.

In the early hours of Feb. 18, Greek police disabled an improvised explosive device (IED) left in a stolen vehicle parked outside a Citibank branch in a suburb of Athens. The device reportedly was constructed of five cooking-gas cylinders filled with an improvised explosive mixture and was designed to be activated by a mechanical clock.

According to police, a security guard noticed two men park the car in front of the bank at 4:30 a.m. and called police when the men did not return. The police responded, then called an explosive ordnance disposal unit, which rendered the device safe. Police said they received no warning call that the device had been planted (such calls are not uncommon in Europe, where some Marxist bombers try to limit civilian casualties), though the bombers’ planting of the device at 4:30 a.m. suggests that the strike was meant to be symbolic and not to cause mass casualties. Banks are among the foreign and commercial targets frequently selected for attacks by militant leftists.
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CNN: "Greek PM condemns attack on TV station"

(...) Masked gunmen opened fire on the offices of Alter TV and tossed a makeshift explosive, but caused no injuries, national police said. The incident follows a spree of extremist attacks which have been rocking the Greek capital for weeks. Gunmen, mounted on two high-powered motorcycles, sped by the side entrance of the network shortly before the Alter TV prime-time newscast, stopping briefly to shoot at a fleet of cars parked within the station's compound, according to witnesses at Alter TV.

"We counted at least 13 shots," said Alter TV journalist George Stergiopoulos. "When they stopped, I looked out and saw them zipping away." (...) There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. (...) Interior Minister Prokopis Pavlopoulos swiftly condemned the incident, saying an attack against the media was "an attack against the freedom of speech and democracy." (...) At least two local terror groups, including the Revolutionary Struggle -- a band of far-left militants best known for firing a rocket-propelled grenade into the U.S. Embassy in 2007 -- have threatened to attack police, also targeting journalists and politicians. (...) >>>

Feb 20, 2009
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The state is asserting itself - it's about time ...

Fox News: "Renewed Riots Break Out in Greece as Protesters Clash With Police"

Masked youths clashed with police in central Athens Friday in the first major test of the Greek government's vow to crack down on violent protesters after nationwide riots last month. A group of demonstrators broke away from a rally by thousands of students protesting government education reforms and hurled rocks and flares at riot police who responded with tear gas and flash grenades. At least six protesters were detained, an Associated Press reporter witnessed. The rally was the first demonstration since conservative Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis vowed tougher policing to counter the "catastrophic violence" of nationwide riots last month sparked by the police's fatal shooting of a teenager on Dec. 6. The new deputy interior minister, Christos Markoyiannakis, whose duties include overseeing the police, has promised a "zero tolerance" approach to crime. (...) >>>

Jan 9, 2009
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Yahoo!News: "Greek policeman shot; gun tied to extremists"

Gunmen sprayed Athens riot police with automatic weapons fire early Monday, seriously wounding a policeman in an escalation of violence that broke out after the fatal police shooting of a teenager last month. (...) Authorities said more than 30 shots from a 9 mm weapon and an automatic rifle were fired early Monday at three riot policemen standing guard outside the Culture Ministry. (...) Stratos Mavroidakos, head of a police officers' association, said the riots last month had cultivated an atmosphere of hatred against police. >>>

Here's the confirmation of "Revolutionary Struggle" claiming responsibility ...
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Yahoo!News: "Police: weapon previously used by extremist group"

Greek police say a weapon gunmen have fired at police in Athens was used last year in an attack claimed by a domestic extremist group that has previously targeted the U.S. Embassy. A policeman was critically wounded in Monday's pre-dawn attack. An automatic rifle and a 9mm caliber weapon were used.

Police said ballistics tests showed the 9mm caliber weapon matched one used in an April 30, 2007, attack on a police station in an Athens suburb. That attack caused no injuries but was claimed by the far-left Revolutionary Struggle group. The group had also claimed an attack in which a rocket-propelled grenade was fired into the front of the U.S. Embassy in Jan. 2007, causing damage but no injuries.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below. ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greek police say a weapon gunmen have fired at police in Athens was used last year in an attack claimed by a domestic extremist group that has previously targeted the U.S. Embassy. (...) >>>
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Facebook Group Prison for all who exploit the death of Alexis: "Murderous Attack on Police Officers with Kalashnikof"

Yesterday (04.01.2009) a assassination attempt was carried out by unknown entities against police officers in Athens. A 21 year old police officer was found in critical situation and is fighting for his life. To prison NOW with all who exploit the Democracy! If you have any information about the anarchists or the attacker please pass the info on! Is the 21 year old not a human? Perhaps murderers and filth do exist who try to cover their deplorable motives behind “ideologies”? Has the hour come to finish them?

Jan 5, 2009
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Related:

- "The Wild Fires of Pyro Terrorism"

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