Greek minister's home targeted by petrol bombs

Athens, Jan 31: The central Athens residence of Greek State Minister Alekos Flambouraris was targeted on Saturday with petrol bombs for a second time in two months by a group of unidentified assailants. No injuries but only material damages were caused by the attack, police said. About a dozen hooded people threw petrol bombs at the entrance of the home in the district of Exarchia, damaging a window and two cars parked outside. One car belonged to Flambouraris’ son and the other to a member of his security team, according to police sources, Xinhua reported. The minister was inside his residence when the incident occurred, police officers said.

In November 2015, the same residence had been firebombed. No arrests have been made, but police suspected archists who have been operating for decades in the district were behind the incident. The state minister is the first Radical Left SYRIZA top official being targeted since the party came into office a year ago. Greece has suffered from domestic terrorism over the past four decades, but until recently mainly conservative and socialist politicians were targeted. In comments to the press, Flambouraris said he was targeted due to his “defamation” by political opponents and part of the media reports over of the business deals of the construction firm he co-owned until last year.

Government spokesperson Olga Gerovassilis stressed in a statement that the government “cannot be blackmailed nor terrorised”, accusing the opposition of “poisoning the political climate” lately. The main opposition conservative New Democracy party, as well as other parties from the Right to the Left of the political spectrum, condemned the attack. (IANS)