Athens News Agency: News in English, 10-03-29

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] Thessaloniki police neutralise two explosive mechanisms at bank, toy store

[02] Teen killed in Patissia explosion

[01] Thessaloniki police neutralise two explosive mechanisms at bank, toy store

Police were alerted at 3:55 a.m. that two suspicious sacks had been spotted outside a toy store chain outlet and outside a bank in the Evosmos district.

Police neutralised the two suspicious sacks with contained explosions.

It was revealed afterwards that both sacks contained explosive mechanisms.

[02] Teen killed in Patissia explosion

The family, Afghani nationals, are believed to have been searching the garbage bins for food and other items.

Citizens Protection minister Michalis Chryssohoidis, who rushed to the scene, said that terrorism has shown its most abhorrent face, and pledged that the perpetrators will be found and brought to justice.

According to latest reports by police, citing the mother, the girl found a travel bag next to a garbage bin and opened it up to see what it contained. The son, who approached the travel bag, saw a clock which he believed was broken and took the travel bag and threw it away, at which time the explosion occurred, dismembering the boy and injuring the girl.

Police have cordoned off an extensive are around the explosion site, and counter-terrorism police and bomb disposal experts were still combing the area for evidence on Monday morning.

Although there was no warning call for the explosion, which occurred at 10:41 p.m. outside the building housing the Hellenic Management Association (EEDE) on the corner of 1 Iakovaton Street and Ionias Avenue, police are investigating a possible link between the explosion outside the EEDE premises and a warning call several hours earlier, at 8:46 p.m., to private Alter television station that a bomb would explode in six minutes (at 8:52 p.m.) in Patissia at an "EBEE" building, according to announcements by police and the ministry.

A police turned up no service with the initials "EBEE", while no explosion took place at or after the time claimed by the anonymous caller.

Police are investigating the possibility that the anonymous caller had given mistaken details. They are also investigating the possibility that the call was unrelated to the actual explosion, in which case it is highly likely that the bomb had been planted just minutes before it was found by the migrant family before the perpetrators made a warning call. Several other possibilities are also being looked into.

The results of crime lab tests are awaited to see if the syndesmology of the bomb is similar to that of others from recent explosions.

The girl was rushed to a Children's Hospital in Athens.

According to initial information collected by police, the migrant family went to the area every night, searching the garbage bins for food or other items.

Citizens Protection Minister

Citizens Protection Minister Michalis Chryssohoidis, who rushed to the scene, said that "terrorism has shown its most abhorrent face".

"A young person lost his life from the death trap planted by terrorists. The murderers consider all of us, whether police, or immigrants, or any other citizen, enemies," he said.

"The terrorists are against an entire society, but society, too, is against them. It is our duty that they be arrested and led to justice. Every time they carry out such actions they make mistakes, and bring us closer to their tracks. These actions denude them, and will reveal them," the minister added.

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