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Greek Police Destroy Suspected Bomb Outside Athens Ministry


Members of the bomb squad search for evidence outside Labor Ministry in Athens, Dec. 12, 2016.
Members of the bomb squad search for evidence outside Labor Ministry in Athens, Dec. 12, 2016.

Greek authorities have destroyed a time bomb placed overnight outside the Labor Ministry on a major thoroughfare in central Athens, after a warning telephone call was made to a newspaper, police said Monday. No injuries or damage were reported.

A bomb disposal crew carried out three controlled explosions at about 4:30 a.m. (0230 GMT) Monday to destroy the device, which was found in a backpack placed in a plastic container at the building's entrance.

Authorities were alerted following an anonymous call to a newspaper at about 1 a.m. in which the caller said a bomb was to explode in 40 minutes. A bomb squad arrived and cordoned off the area, but the device did not detonate.

Police said it was not immediately clear why the device did not explode. Anti-terrorism police were leading the investigation and forensic experts were examining the remnants of the backpack and its contents.

A number of small domestic extremist groups are active in Greece, usually carrying late-night attacks that rarely cause injuries.

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