Ultra-Leftists Behind Athens Bomb Attack

The ultra-leftist urban guerrilla group Revolutionary Nucleus seems to have been responsible for a powerful bomb attack near central Athens' Syndagma Square on 19 August. The group issued warnings to two newspapers minutes before the blast.

The device exploded at the entrance to the fifth-floor office of socialist parliamentary deputy Stelios Papathemelis, who was public order minister in 1993-95. No one was injured, but damage was reportedly heavy.

Security implications

Left-wing extremists stage occasional high-profile attacks, though the frequency and intensity of ultra-leftist attacks has decreased significantly since the late 1980s. Many attacks are small-scale and take place in the early hours of the morning to generate publicity rather than to cause injury to the general public. However, in May Greece's most active ultra-leftist group, 17 November, assassinated shipowner Constantine Peratikos in Athens' port of Piraeus, showing that ultra-leftists remain prepared to cause death or injury.

Ultra-leftists' targets are wide-ranging, and are generally deemed to represent capitalism and imperialism. Ultra-leftists may have targeted Papathemelis because of his role as former public order minister, responsible for the police. Revolutionary Nucleus has claimed responsibility for several bomb attacks against cars owned by foreign diplomats and Greek business people. Urban guerrilla groups also target Greek politicians and other prominent individuals.

Ultra-leftists also target foreign business interests, notably US and German-linked premises and personnel. Diplomatic personnel and property also are sporadically singled out for attack. US, German and Turkish targets are most at risk because of ultra-leftists' opposition to these countries' past and present policies towards Greece. Other foreign diplomats and government personnel are at slight risk from ultra-leftist and anarchist attacks: a firebomb was thrown at a car belonging to the Austrian embassy shortly after midnight on 19 August.

Travel implications

Ultra-leftist attacks pose an incidental risk to foreign business travellers as some occur in public places. Alerts and attacks also can cause substantial traffic disruption, particularly if they take place at key traffic junctions, as occurred on 19 August.

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