Bomb explodes outside bank in Athens

[BEER980]

ATHENS: A Greek extremist group called the Revolutionary Struggle yesterday threatened visitors to the Olympic Games, adding to security woes just three months out from the start of the event. The warning came after makeshift bombs exploded at a Greek bank in an Athens suburb early yesterday, and another explosive device was found at a nearby British bank.

Devices made up of gas canisters exploded at 2am at an automatic teller machine owned by Alpha Bank, Greece’s second largest bank and an Olympics sponsor. Another unidentified explosive device was found outside the office of the British-owned HSBC bank and defused, police said. The blasts, which caused some damage but no injuries, came eight days after dynamite explosions at a police station in Athens, an incident blamed on local extremists rather than international terror groups like al-Qaeda.

The Revolutionary Struggle group yesterday claimed responsibility for the May 5 bombings and issued a warning to visitors to the Olympics, which run from August 13 to 29. It described government officials, business leaders, security officials and wealthy tourists who plan to attend the event as “undesirables”. Greece announced this week that 70,000 security personnel will watch over the Games — outnumbering athletes by almost seven to one — with Olympic officials saying preparations for the sporting extravaganza were on track.

The latest blasts came as about 300 officials from Greece and the seven countries advising it on Olympics security — including Australia — were set to take part in Olympic Guardian 2, a joint Greek-US four-day exercise in Athens. This latest dress rehearsal involves Greek officials up to the rank of minister having to coordinate immediate anti-terrorist action in response to fictitious attacks on the Games. Meanwhile, organisers have also reacted with fury to an Australian travel advisory warning Australians to “exercise caution” and beware of terrorists, pickpockets and rapists if travelling to Greece.

The chief International Olympic Committee inspector of the Athens Games, Denis Oswald, said he was “surprised and disappointed” by the warning, noting that Australia is part of a seven-country group advising Greece on security. Greece’s chief Olympics organiser, Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki, called the Australian advisory “unfair” and others suggested Australia was taunting Athens with a reminder of the success of Sydney’s 2000 Games. — AFP

Source

[wx247]

It is a shame that they are going to take the one thing that brings the world together for a couple of weeks every couple of years and ruin it. It is so sad.

[cycloneye]

And the Oylmpics are less than 90 days away. I wonder if security will be extreme at that time to avoid another Munich type attack or worse.

[ColdFront77]

And the Oylmpics are less than 90 days away. I wonder if security will be extreme at that time to avoid another Munich type attack or worse.

Yes indeed, yesterday marked 90 days until the start of the 2004 Games of the XXVIIIth Olympiad.

It is coming quickly and last I heard not even half the venues were ready and now these serious security concerns because of the latest happenings.

There have been some concerns in and around Athens the last several years leading up to the Olympics...

[Lindaloo]

I heard that security is at an all time high in Greece for the Olympics.

[Josephine96]

I do hope that our athletes are safe during the Olympics. I'll definitely be watching them closely..

I can still so vividly remember the 1996 Olympic Park bombing. There was a CNN reporter interviewing Janet Evans and they heard the explosion and Janet just clutched his arm and then they took off running..

[Aquawind]

Geesh..Hopefully they will prevent the inevitable in Greece. All attending are brave souls..