Greek militants raise fear of more violence with attack

Friday's predawn blast damaged the entrance of a central Athens apartment block where Marietta Giannakou, a conservative European Parliament member, lives.

A group calling itself Conspiracy Nuclei of Fire posted a statement on the Internet late Friday saying it had carried out the attack and remained “ready to strike again.”

The militants placed the time-bomb in a saucepan, after warning a newspaper and private television station of their intentions, police said.

Greece's new Socialist government is faced with a spike in violence by far-left militants after winning elections this earlier this month.

On Tuesday, six police officers were wounded when gunmen on motorcycles sprayed an Athens police station with automatic weapon fire. Two remain in critical condition.

“We are united against this indiscriminate murderous violence,” Prime Minister George Papandreou said.

“Acting in a responsible and targeted way, we can end the cycle of blood, which undermines individual and collective freedoms and ... damages our country's image around the world,” he said, speaking on the sidelines of a European Union leaders' meeting in Brussels.

Last year's riots erupted after police shot a teenage boy dead on Dec. 6, 2008. Widespread violence broke out in Athens and other cities, lasting more than two weeks and leaving scores of businesses gutted and looted.

The mass protests eventually fizzled but spurred radical groups to launch more violent attacks, many targeting police.

In June, gunmen shot dead an anti-terrorist policeman guarding a witness in central Athens. A group called Sect of Revolutionaries — one of several that first appeared after the riots — claimed responsibility, saying it acted to avenge the teenage boy's death.

Bombing and shooting attacks have also been carried out this year against banks, a private TV station and the Athens Stock Exchange.

Officials have publicly expressed concern that the anniversary of the teenager's death could lead more violent street protests and militant attacks. The new Socialist minister in charge of police has vowed to review police methods, including how precincts are guarded.

Giannakou, 58, was an education minister in a previous conservative government. Last year, her fractured right leg was amputated following complications from diabetes that threatened her life.

“I am sad for my country,” she said after Friday's bombing.

“I am sad that there are so many people who feel so much hate, who have no limits, who shoot at police.”

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