Attackers target homes of Greek ruling party figures

THESSALONIKI, Greece - Attackers targeted the homes of three politicians from Greece’s ruling party with homemade explosives on July 1, leaving five people injured, police told AFP.

The attacks in the early hours in the northern city of Thessaloniki targeted figures from the New Democracy party with devices made from gas bottles.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the New Democracy leader, expressed “outrage and anger” at what he termed a “cowardly, terrorist and murderous attack” and said he would visit Thessaloniki later to support his party colleagues.

The Kathimerini news website reported that the parents of former party candidate Afroditi Nestora were injured and taken to hospital and named the other two targets as the party’s executive committee president Zisis Ioakimovic and former MP Savvas Anastasiades.

Police confirmed that five people were injured but did not release any names, and did not say who might have carried out the attacks or suggest a motive.

Leftist and anarchist groups often use improvised explosives to target political figures, banks and companies – causing damage but rarely any casualties.

The improvised explosives were made from small butane canisters, police said, and the attacks appear to have been carried out by the same people.

The officers said they were gathering video footage to help them hunt the perpetrators.

Mitsotakis said his trip to Thessaloniki was meant to “send a perfectly clear and explicit message: zero tolerance for any new form of terrorism that might appear in our country”.

Left-wing opposition parties also condemned the attacks. AFP