UK Foreign Office issues Greece travel warning following explosion
The UK Foreign Office has warned British holidaymakers in Greece to follow the guidance of local authorities following an explosion in Thessaloniki in the early hours of this morning. The port city lies 300 miles north of Athens on the Aegean coast.
According to the PA news agency, a woman died in the explosion after a bomb she was carrying exploded in her hands.
In an update issued on May 3 to its travel guidance page for Greece, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: 'There has been an explosion in Thessaloniki in the early morning of 3 May.
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'If you're in the area you should take care and follow the advice of the local authorities.'
Police said that the 38-year-old woman was apparently carrying the bomb to place it outside a nearby bank at around 5am on Saturday.
The explosion damaged several storefronts and vehicles.
The woman was known to authorities after taking part in several robberies, according to police, who said they are investigating her possible ties to extreme leftist groups.
According to local news site ekathimerini.com, the woman was taken to hospital following the explosion, but 'ultimately succumbed to her wounds.'
The site of the blast remains cordoned off, and the 'Organized Crime Directorate has taken over the investigation.'
The news site reports that she had a criminal record and had previously been arrested following a bank robbery, during which she was found carrying a Kalashnikov rifle in a backpack. She was subsequently imprisoned.
Investigators believe there are two likely motives for planting the explosive device; 'a politically motivated symbolic act or an attempt theft targeting the ATM.'
The site of the blast remains cordoned off, and the 'Organized Crime Directorate has taken over the investigation.'
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