A Kolonos explosion injured two police officers and two civilians at an Athens apartment block on Wednesday, after a bag reported to contain drugs blew up as officers checked it.
The building manager called the police emergency line at 2:32pm local time (11:32pm AEDT), the Hellenic Police said. He reported a bag inside the building that held a jar of drugs and a set of scales.
Two officers on a security patrol arrived soon after. Together with another resident, the manager showed them the bag in a shared area on the mezzanine floor.
At about 3:30pm, while the officers checked the bag, it exploded and injured all four people, police said.
Since the Kolonos explosion, investigators have focused on people linked to ordinary crime rather than terrorism, reports said. So far, police have not reported any arrests.
Kolonos explosion investigation
Police said their Organised Crime Directorate is leading the preliminary investigation. However, reports said the Homicide Division has also taken on the case.
Bomb disposal experts and forensic investigators went to Platonos Street in Kolonos, a neighbourhood north-west of central Athens.
According to reports, someone set off the device by remote control. Investigators found remains of an electric detonator, batteries, a remote trigger and low-power explosive, as well as packets of drugs.
Earlier reports, however, said the injured male officer had pressed a button on the device during the check. Police have not said how the bomb went off.
The bag sat hidden near the lift entrance. Before calling police, the manager had reportedly looked inside and seen what appeared to be drugs.
Initially, a counter-terrorism team also attended while authorities considered whether the Kolonos explosion was an ambush. Additionally, 18 firefighters with six vehicles went to the scene.
Officers and civilians in hospital
The male officer, a police sub-lieutenant, suffered injuries to his hand and face. Ambulance crews took him to the 401 General Military Hospital of Athens, where he needs surgery.
His life is not in danger, said Michalis Giannakos, president of the hospital workers’ union POEDIN.
A young female special guard working with him suffered light wounds from fragments. Both civilians went to Evangelismos Hospital with fragment wounds, reports said.
The Kolonos explosion is not the first recent blast in the city. In September, two identical grenade attacks hit Athens businesses, and authorities looked into a possible extortion motive.
Investigators also expect to check a resident who has previously come to police attention over drug cases, reports said. Police have not named him or linked him to the Kolonos explosion.
Source: Kathimerini
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