Posted on 01/11/2007 9:02:24 PM PST by xzins
Edited on 01/11/2007 10:33:11 PM PST by Admin Moderator. [history]
Just announced as breaking news on Fox.
Mod, I'm sure it's not on their website yet.
Update:
Fox News
Explosions Rocks U.S. Embassy in Athens
Associated Press
Friday, January 12, 2007
ATHENS, Greece - Police cordoned off streets around the U.S. Embassy in Athens early Friday after an explosion inside the embassy compound.
Authorities searched nearby apartment buildings and a hospital amid reports that an explosive device may have been fired at the building. The blast smashed glass in the front of the building, near the U.S. emblem of the embassy.
"I heard a loud bang I didn't realize what was going on," said Giorgos Yiannoulis, who runs a kiosk near the embassy.
Excerpted. Story: Explosions Rocks U.S. Embassy in Athens
Or maybe the work of November 17?
Xzins was very astute to add in that keyword... :)
More likely November 17 or some splinter group...
So Marxists....
You obviously know nothing of Greece other than your ignrant comments and how much the nation has moved beyond the agrarian ecconomy.Jumping to conclusions rather quickly, eh?
In fact Greece is the only ecconomy that has been booming because of its free market moves.Greece—the EU's economic powerhouse? They are getting billions in economic aid and agrarian subsidies. Tourism and food/tobacco processing are still the main branches of industry. (Note for example that nobody ever smokes Greek tobacco because of its poor quality—it is just made, paid for by EU subsidies, and then burned.) Contribution of agriculture, forestry and fisheries to GDP is, in relative terms, the largest in the EU. Despite privatisation programs, the state is still playing a major role. Average income per capita is low.
There has been nice economic growth, mainly due to investments in infrastructure for the 2004 olympics and UEFA championship. It's slowing down, though, lately.
30 minuetes ago
Greek government blames domestic terrorists for U.S. Embassy attack
http://www.wave3.com/Global/story.asp?S=5930171&nav=0RZF
(ATHENS, Greece) -- A rocket struck the U.S. Embassy early Friday, exploding inside the modern, glass-fronted building but causing no injuries in an attack that Greek authorities said was probably carried out by a domestic terrorist group.
The small anti-tank missile narrowly missed the large blue-and-white U.S. seal on the embassy's facade and pierced the building above the front entrance shortly before 6 a.m. It damaged a bathroom on the third floor near the ambassador's office and shattered windows in nearby buildings.
"There were no injuries and very minimal damage," U.S. Ambassador Charles Ries told reporters outside the embassy.
The 2.36-inch rocket, which police said was a weapon probably fired from a Russian-made launcher, struck a large marble beam on the third floor of the embassy, just above and to the left of the seal. It shattered a window and landed near some toilets.
The Pentagon has received a report on the attack but no request for any action, a military official said in Washington. There is no reason to believe that it was al-Qaida-related, but rather involves a separatist group, said the official, who is not authorized to speak on the subject and requested anonymity.
A U.S. intelligence official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation was ongoing, said there is no information that suggests a follow-up attack. That official also spoke on condition of anonymity.
Greek officials condemned the attack and said they would move quickly to find who was responsible for firing the rocket.
"It is very likely that this is the work of a domestic group," Public Order Minister Vyron Polydoras said. "We believe this effort to revive terrorism is deplorable and will not succeed."
His comments raised fears of resurgent violence by far-left Greek militants.
It was the first major attack against a U.S. target in Greece in more than a decade.
"We believe it is a symbolic act," Polydoras said. "It is an attempt to disrupt our country's international relations."
Polydoras said police were examining phone calls to a private security company claiming responsibility on behalf of a militant left-wing group called Revolutionary Struggle.
"There are one or two telephone calls, from unknown callers, who claimed that the Revolutionary Struggle assumes responsibility," Polydoras said. "We cannot rule out that they were genuine."
Revolutionary Struggle claimed responsibility for a May 2006 bomb attack on Culture Minister Giorgos Voulgarakis, in which nobody was injured.
Investigators were examining video from surveillance cameras and were canvassing the neighborhood around the building, on a busy street near Athens' main concert hall. The government also said it was seeking permission from the courts to view traffic control camera videos, which are confidential under Greece's strict privacy laws.
Officials closed the embassy for the day.
It was unclear if the launcher had been found, but the rocket was fired from across the six-lane boulevard.
Ries said there had been no warning of the attack, which he said came at a time when "the embassy had very few people in it."
"There can be no justification for such a senseless act of violence. ... The embassy was occupied at the time (but) nobody was hurt," he said. "We're treating it as a very serious attack."
Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis visited the embassy afterward.
"I came here to express the solidarity of the Greek people following this deplorable action," she said.
"Such actions in the past have had a very heavy cost for the country. ... The Greek government is determined to undertake every effort to not allow such phenomena to be repeated in the future."
Polydoras said police would set up a task force on the attack, headed by a former counterterrorism chief who eradicated the far-left November 17 group in 2002.
November 17 carried out a similar rocket attack against the embassy in 1996, causing minor damage and no injuries.
The group was blamed for killing 23 people - including U.S., British and Turkish officials - and dozens of bomb attacks.
In 2003, a special court gave multiple life sentences to November 17's leader, chief assassin and three other members. Lesser sentences were given to 10 others.
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
See reply 244
Polydoras said police were examining phone calls to a private security company claiming responsibility on behalf of a militant left-wing group called Revolutionary Struggle.
"There are one or two telephone calls, from unknown callers, who claimed that the Revolutionary Struggle assumes responsibility," Polydoras said. "We cannot rule out that they were genuine."
Revolutionary Struggle claimed responsibility for a May 2006 bomb attack on Culture Minister Giorgos Voulgarakis, in which nobody was injured.
The Terrorism Knowledge Base
http://www.tkb.org/Group.jsp?groupID=3672
Revolutionary Struggle
Mothertongue Name:
Epanastatikos Aghonas
Base of Operation: Greece
Founding Philosophy: Revolutionary Struggle (Epanastatikos Aghonas or EA) is a Greek extremist group that first emerged in 2003 with a bombing attack on the Athens courthouse complex. Since then, EA members have consistently targeted political leaders and institutions in order to express their socialist, and somewhat anarchist, ideologies. Public statements by EA members convey strict opposition to current Greek economic policies and political systems as well as the capitalist nature of the West in general. Even though law enforcement and intelligence agencies agree that EA is most likely operating in a small scale capacity, they remain the most active Greek terrorist organization since the downfall of the infamous November 17 group. While some analysts claim that EA is comprised of former members of November 17, there is no known evidence that supports such a linkage.
EA made international news in the Spring of 2004, when they bombed an Athens police station. This attack, which did not result in any fatalities, took place approximately 100 days prior to the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. An EA spokesman cited the increased security and international tourism that would result from the Greek-hosted Olympic Games as motivating factors for the instant and future attacks. However, the Athens Games were successfully completed without any instances of terrorist activity from EA, or any other groups for that matter.
EA’s most recent incident occurred on May 30, 2006, involving an assassination attempt on George Voulgarakis, the Greek Culture Minister and former Public Order Minister. Over 2 pounds of explosives were strapped to a bicycle stationed near Voulgarakis’ residence and then detonated via remote control. No injuries resulted from the explosion, but four parked cars and a school building succumbed to damage. EA later claimed the attack, stating Greek involvement in the “war on terror” and Voulgarakis’ suspected role in an illegal interrogation of Pakistani residents as justification for the bombing.
(snip)
seperatist group? more correct a communist taking over group.
Seems like this is the replacement for the previous Nov.17.
It is interesting to collect the photo images from security cameras.
This is sad in that the Greek ecconomy (with conservatives running it) was actually growing pretty well.
It doesn't sound like Al Qaeda, I mean an RPG, that's not their style. It must admit that Al Qaeda was the 1st thing that I thought for when I heard the headline.
It is interesting to collect the photo images from security cameras.
Do you have a link? I just got up and am trying to get up to peed on this...and hook up the coffee IV at the sametime.
Bump!
That was a joke about a Vegas betting line on this incident. I hope it was good for a few laughs among readers of this thread. ;-)
I ran across a rather organized group of (so-called) intellectual-type anarchists over in Vermont about a year ago. I'll have to see if I can hunt the site up. My concerns are the same as yours. They seem to have a symbiotic relationship of sorts, and you are right, it is dangerous.
Macedonia was and is freaken Greek.
Monk ping to 189 LOL!
Hey I wouldnt be suprise one of these days that we have Freeper in every city that what I mean resistence is futile LOL!
Canadianally, you are more then likely correct. This group is nothing more then lefty-nuts who protest everything under the sun and stir up trouble that has anything to do with everything ~ from soccer game matches between two local teams to "political causes" to highschool students "striking" against the "establishment", if there is a "uproar" in the country you can bet your dollar these wack-jobs are right smack in the middle of it always wearing bandanas to cover their faces as most cowards usually do. You should of seen it a few months ago when Greek students locked themselves into their schools, pretty comical to see parents storming the schools to get their kids who were "striking". LoL!!!
Greek TV was reporting it is believed it might be one of five rockets stolen from a military base. These were LAW style rockets taken in 1983.
One was documented as having been used leaving four never accounted for.
Does anyone know if LAW rockets are able to last from 1983?
Does anyone know if LAW rockets can suffer from water intrusion and be a dud like the one?
Macedonia means Greek.
When you go to Pella or the tomb of King Philip all the writing is in Greek.
The wife and son of Alexander the Great are burried in the Tomb compound of King Philip. (alexander's body was taken as a power symbol and prize after his death to alexandria)
This issue of Macedonia is being discussed today.
Kolokotronis, I couldn't have said it better myself. And most Greeks ARE NOT "Anti-American haters" and Greek is NOT "terror friendly" as some have claimed in a few posts prior, heck my American friends have visited often and had no problems and Greece gets "crapped" upon by most bleeding heart Western European countries becaus they're pissed off at Greece for the way the government supposedly treats unknown illegals that cross her borders. Case in point: not clearing the mind fields on the boarders with Turkey/Bulgaria. The bleeding hearts of countries like the UK, France, Germany, Netherlands, to name a few, are on Greece's case often because everytime illegals try to cross into Greece they have an arm or leg blown off or worse get killed while the Greek governments stand is "they are unkown, could be terrorists or drug/mule smuggles and they are ILLEGAL, so f' off." That is so typical, getting on Greece's case for their "hash" treatment on unknown illegals in one breath and in the next breath they complain "Greece is terror friendly". Whatever.
People need to remember the "give the finger to authority" mentality is something that was part of our own revolutionary founding.
Hopefully they will see better pictures of the actual damage in the room that was hit. There was obviously no fire or damage other than by impact.
TV is reporting all the streets are open and traffic is flowing.
I am hopeful the fact the days bilateral meetings went forward is a good sign especially given the topics of discussion.
Two months ago the daily Kathimerini published the result of a poll which showed that Anti-Americanism in Greece has increased since 2004 and is one of the highest in Europe.
Greece's Communist Party has shown special sympathy to Islamist countries.
http://www.sana.org/eng/22/2006/10/27/79245.htm
Greek Communist Party Representive Expresses Solidarity with Syria
Friday, October 27, 2006 - 08:00 PM
Athens, (SANA)-
European Deputy and Representative of the Greek Communist Party, Thneis Paphilis has expressed solidarity with Syria and the peoples of the Middle East who are being exposed to the American pressures.
In statements published on Friday by Greek daily ,Rizospastis, he praised Syria's principled stances that reject hegemony on the region ,pointing out to the pressures to which Syria is being exposed due to her rejection of the projects that are targeting the region .
He expressed regret over the positions of some European countries that are coherent with those of the United States.
A.N.Idelbi
Anti-Americanism still rife in Greece
By G.G. de Lastic
11-18-2006
http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/news/content.asp?aid=76732
Greeks have the most negative opinion of American policy among the citizens of 63 different countries, according to a recent poll which showed Greeks’ disapproval to be far more widespread than in the other countries. Indeed anti-American sentiment in Greece has increased since 2004, according to the survey conducted by TNS ICAP and the Gallup International Association. The research revealed that 87 percent of Greeks believe the United States is having a negative effect on efforts to maintain world peace; 78 percent of Turks and Argentineans feel the same way, followed by 76 percent of Swiss citizens, who, rather surprisingly, clinch fourth place in the scale of disapproval.
Greeks display a similar scorn in their assessment of the role of the USA in the war against terrorism, with 78 percent expressing disapproval, followed by 77 percent of Turks and 71 percent of Argentineans.
These countries maintain the same harsh stance when questioned about the role of the US in tackling poverty. Greeks top the chart again with 80 percent expressing disapproval, followed by the Turks with 75 percent, and the Argentineans and Swiss in joint third place with 71 percent. Only when questioned about America’s policy regarding the protection of the environment do Greeks slip to fourth place, with 78 percent expressing a negative opinion, behind Switzerland with 85 percent, Germany with 83 percent and France with 79 percent.
The results of this survey should be of great concern to policymakers in Washington who follow developments in Greece, particularly those who have drafted US policy on issues of direct or indirect national interest. Such colossal percentages expressing such widespread disapproval prove that anti-American sentiment in Greece exists on all social levels and across different age groups, irrespective of citizens’ ideological and political convictions.
Such high rates of discontent would not exist if the USA had not made political choices that brought them into conflict with the main body of the Greek people. A key point was undoubtedly Washington’s support of the military dictatorship established in Greece in 1967. And the definitive rift occurred due to the US’s role during Turkey’s invasion of Cyprus in 1974. Since then, the White House and the State Department have preserved the strong anti-American sentiment, thanks to their stance on Cyprus and Greek-Turkish relations.
In view of the above, the US invasion of Iraq, its detention camp in Guantanamo Bay, its secret CIA jails, are hardly likely to encourage Greeks –- and other Europeans –- to revise their negative opinions of the USA.
And there is no such thing as "good people" (as in a nation). Every country, including the United States, has its thugs.
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