Athens – Bomb destroyed outside Justice Ministry

Members of the police’s bomb disposal unit destroyed a suspicious package found at the Justice Ministry shortly before 2 p.m. on Wednesday in a controlled explosion outside the ministry building.

Police sources told Skai that the package had contained a small quantity of explosives. Officers were called to the building after ministry staff deemed the package to be suspicious.

The booby-trapped package had been addressed to the office of Minister Haris Kastanidis with the sender listed as «the independent initiative of lawyers,» The Associated Press quoted police spokesman Athanasios Kokkalakis as saying.

A wave of letter bombs targeting foreign embassies in Athens last November was subsequently claimed by the Conspiracy of the Cells of Fire guerrilla group. The campaign caused international alarm after one of the packages reached the Berlin office of German Chancellor Angela Merkel.”