Bomb Explodes Outside Appeals Court in Athens

Bomb Explodes Outside Appeals Court in Athens

A makeshift bomb exploded outside an appeals court in Athens early on Friday causing damage, police officials said.

There were no reports of injuries.

Two Greek media organizations received warning calls before the explosion at 0250, one police official said.

The individual who called in the warning about the explosion insistently asked that the buildings be evacuated but did not name any organisation as responsible.

Police, who had cordoned off the area, found a bag which contained the explosive material outside the building.

Counter-terrorism police and forensics investigators are at the crime scene looking for evidence. According to police there were three perpetrators, of which two left the bag with the bomb outside the entrance while the third was waiting in a van.

The perpetrators were detected by a police guard that was inside the building, who saw two individuals leave a bag (which contained the bomb) outside the entrance.

When the driver of the van saw the guard he shot once at him without injuring him.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Komotini / Ρετζέπ Ταγίπ Ερντογάν, Κομοτηνή

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan began the second and final day of his official visit to Greece on Friday with a trip from Athens to Alexandroupoli in Greece's northeastern tip and then to neighboring Komotini in Western Thrace. His reception by Muslim Greeks at Komotini was more low-key than anticipated, and the Turkish statesman made no statements in the morning. He attended Friday prayers at the town’s Kirmahalle Mosque, outside of which the few hundreds of people gathered chanted Erdogan’s name upon his arrival. After the mosque, Erdogan was expected to visit the Celal Bayar Muslim minority school of Komotini, before attending a lunch in his honor by Muslim community leaders to which he is going to deliver a speech.and is later scheduled to address the leaders of Komotini's Muslim community in the context of lunch. The Erdogan visit to Komotini is conducted under tight security. In his visit to Thrace he was escorted by Alternate Foreign Minister Giorgos Katrougalos and Deputy Foreign Minister Ioannis Amanatidis.

Clashes A.Grigoropoulos, Αthens 2017

The city center of Athens turned into a battleground on Sunday evening, on the anniversary of the murder of Alexandros Grigoropoulos in 2008 by police officer Epaminondas Korkoneas. Anarchists and riot police clashed for hours after the conclusion of the march, which numbered about 5,000 demonstrators.

Many of clashes took place in the area of Exarchia, where Grigoropoulos was shot dead, with protesters setting fires and setting up barricades. About 500 anarchists threw petrol bombs and stones at the police, which responded with tear gas and flash bang grenades. In total 30 protesters were detained and six arrested, while three police officers were hospitalized with burns.

During the clashes a 1^st floor balcony on Solomou Street caught fire, but residents were quick to extinguish it. One car that was parked on Soultani Street was burned, while the Police managed to prevent the burning of another car on Stournara Street. Protesters have alleged that they were assaulted by the police, with others claiming that they were struck in the head by the riot police units. The police also claimed to have found buried boxes with petrol bombs and gas masks on the Strefi Hill.