Four people, including two police officers, were injured when an explosive device detonated in an apartment building in Athens’ Kolonos district shortly after 3pm on Wednesday.
Emergency services dispatched 18 firefighters, six fire engines and an aerial platform vehicle to Platonos Street, while ambulances transported the injured to Evangelismos Hospital and the 401 Military Hospital.
The more seriously injured victim, a police officer, sustained facial and bodily injuries and underwent surgery. The latest information indicated that his injuries did not pose an immediate threat to his life. Authorities also reported that none of the four injured faced a life-threatening condition.
How the explosion occurred
Witnesses told tanea.gr that someone had placed a bag containing an explosive device at the scene and that a person apparently triggered it when lifting the bag. Police sources subsequently confirmed that the explosion came from a device found in a ground-floor area of the apartment building, beneath the stairwell.
The building manager had discovered the bag, which contained drugs and a weighing scale, and alerted police.
When an officer arrived and attempted to examine the contents by hand, the device exploded, according to the initial reports.
Police investigate possible criminal links
The Directorate for Combating Organised Crime has taken over the investigation, according to information reported by Greece’s public broadcaster ERT. Investigators have found no apparent terrorist motive and are treating the incident as a possible case of ordinary criminal activity.
Police are examining whether the bag had a specific intended recipient with a criminal history. They are also investigating whether someone left it there to dispose of it or intended another person to collect it, potentially as part of an ambush.
ERT released photographs of the device, which reportedly included a button, a disk containing explosive material and an object resembling a precision weighing scale.
Forensic investigation underway
Police remain at the scene, collecting evidence for forensic analysis and searching for clues that could identify those responsible.
Investigators are also checking whether anyone placed a similar device at another location.
The investigation remains ongoing as authorities work to establish who left the bag, its intended destination and the circumstances that led to the explosion.
(Source: AMNA)
The post Four Injured After Explosive Device Detonates in Athens Apartment appeared first on Greek City Times.