Three homemade firebombs went off within a matter of minutes early on Wednesday in Thessaloniki, Greece's second-largest city, in what the authorities described as a coordinated assault on members of the governing New Democracy party. One woman was killed and several other people were hurt.
The attacks
The devices — crude incendiary bombs made from camping gas canisters — were set off at three residences in different districts of the city in the pre-dawn hours of July 1, Euronews reported. The targets, according to Greek outlets, were the homes of local New Democracy figures, among them a party official, a former member of parliament and a candidate for the party, ProtoThema reported.
The most serious blast struck an apartment building where the mother of one of the targeted candidates lived. The woman, in her early 70s, died of her injuries; several others, including relatives and residents of the building, were hospitalized, Greek Reporter reported.
The investigation
Greece's counterterrorism police have taken over the case and, according to the Greek press, believe a single organized group carried out the near-simultaneous attacks. No one has claimed responsibility, and no arrests had been reported.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis condemned the violence and called for a united response against what he described as terrorism, according to Greek media accounts of his statement.
Context
Greece has a long history of politically motivated violence, from the decades-long campaign of the far-left group known as November 17 — which carried out bombings and assassinations until its members were arrested in the early 2000s — to more recent, mostly property-damage attacks by anarchist and extremist groups. A coordinated attack that kills a bystander marks a notably deadly turn, and authorities said the investigation was continuing.
