A bomb strikes near the Athens offices of the Greek railway company. No
injuries reported
[April 12, 2025]
By DEREK GATOPOULOS and ELENA BECATOROS
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A bomb planted near the offices of Hellenic Train,
Greece's main railway company, exploded Friday night in a busy district
of central Athens, authorities said. There were no reports of injuries.
The explosion comes amid widespread public anger over a 2023 railway
disaster, Greece’s worst, in which 57 people were killed and dozens more
injured when a freight train and a passenger train heading in opposite
directions were accidentally put on the same track.
Local media said a newspaper and a news website had received an
anonymous call shortly before Friday’s blast, with the caller warning
that a bomb had been planted outside the railway company offices and
would explode within about 40 minutes.
In a statement, Hellenic Train said the explosion had occurred “very
close to its central offices” and said the blast had caused limited
damage and no injuries to any employees or passers-by.
It said authorities had acted immediately upon receiving information
about the warning call, and that the company was cooperating fully with
authorities and ensuring the safety of its staff.
Police cordoned off the site along a major avenue in the Greek capital,
keeping residents and tourists away from the building in an area with
several bars and restaurants. Officers at the scene said a bag
containing an explosive device had been placed near the Hellenic Train
building on Syngrou Avenue.
Police forensics experts wearing white coveralls were collecting
evidence at the scene.
Criticism over the government’s handling of the Feb. 28, 2023 collision
at Tempe in northern Greece has mounted over the last few weeks in the
wake of the second anniversary of the disaster, which killed mostly
young people who had been returning to university classes after a public
holiday.
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Police officers from the forensics department check the area after a
bomb explosion outside of the Hellenic Train offices the company
that runs Greece's railway, in Athens, Greece, Friday, April 11,
2025. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
The crash exposed severe deficiencies in Greece’s railway system,
including in safety systems, and has triggered mass protests - led
by relatives of the victims - against the country’s conservative
government. Critics accused authorities of failing to take political
responsibility for the disaster or holding senior officials
accountable.
So far, only rail officials have been charged with any crimes.
Several protests in recent weeks have turned violent, with
demonstrators clashing with police.
Earlier Friday, a heated debate in Parliament on the rail crash led
to lawmakers voting to refer a former Cabinet minister to judicial
authorities to be investigated over alleged violation of duty over
his handling of the immediate aftermath of the accident.
Hellenic Train said it “unreservedly condemns every form of violence
and tension which are triggering a climate of toxicity that is
undermining all progress.”
Greece has a long history of politically-motivated violence dating
back to the 1970s, with domestic extremist groups carrying out
small-scale bombings which usually cause damage but rarely lead to
injuries.
While the groups most active in the 1980s and 1990s have been
dismantled, new small groups have emerged. Last year, a man believed
to have been trying to assemble a bomb was killed when the explosive
device he was making exploded in a central Athens apartment. A woman
inside the apartment was severely injured. The blast had prompted
Minister of Citizen Protection Michalis Chrisochoidis to warn of an
emerging new generation of domestic extremists.
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