Explosion injures four people in Greek capital

Police special unit work at a site, following an explosion at a building in which police officers and members of the public were injured, in Athens, Greece, October 21, 2026. REUTERS/ Stelios Misinas

ATHENS — Two police officers and two members of the public were injured in an explosion at a building in central Athens, Greek police said on Wednesday.

All four were taken away in ambulances, police said in a statement.

A police official who declined to be named said the explosion occurred when officers reached the building in the area of Kolonos and picked up a backpack thought to contain drugs.

Police had earlier received a call from a resident and the manager of the building notifying them of the suspected drugs at the building's entrance. They later found parts of an explosive device.

The bomb went off as police inspected the backpack and was potentially activated remotely, a second police official said.

The manager was also injured in the blast, which police are not treating as a terrorist act, the first police official added. The homicide unit is leading the investigation. — Reuters