Home-made bombs target Italian Embassy vehicles in Athens

Two home-made explosive devices have targeted cars belonging to the Italian embassy in Greece, one of which went off causing no injuries, according to Greek police.

A homemade bomb exploded at about 4am (02:00 GMT) yesterday Friday, damaging a vehicle parked at the home of an embassy officer in an Athens suburb, Greek police said.

The other device, placed near a second diplomatic vehicle, did not go off.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed “deep concern” at what she called an “attack … probably of anarchist origin”.

The far-right leader sent her “personal thoughts and those of the Italian government to the first counsellor of the Italian embassy in Athens, Susanna Schlein”.

During his meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Italy Antonio Tajani in Athens on Friday, Greek Foreign Affairs Minister Nikos Dendias expressed his concerns and condemnation over the attack.

"I would like to convey to you, on behalf of the Greek Government, our strongest condemnation regarding the bomb attack on the car of an Italian Embassy official," Dendias told his counterpart.

Greece's government, he added, "as well as Greek society, feels abhorrence by this incident and will do everything possible to restore legality, to bring the perpetrators to Greek justice."

On his part, Tajani pointed out that the "Greek people's friendship is more powerful than the violence of those perpetrator."

Crude, homemade devices, which cause damage but rarely injuries, are commonly used against political or diplomatic targets, banks or foreign companies in Greece.

Police often blame groups on the extreme left or anarchists.