Latest news with #HellenicTrain
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Yahoo
Home of former Greek rail disaster probe chief attacked
An incendiary device exploded early Sunday outside the apartment block where a former senior state investigator probing Greece's worst train tragedy lives, police said. Athens News Agency reported that unidentified individuals had placed it at the entrance of the and that it had exploded shortly before 03:00 am on Sunday. The explosion caused minor material damage to the entrance and police found the remains of gas cannisters, firecrackers and duct tape. State security is investigating the incident at the building, which according to police sources is where Christos Papadimitriou, until recently head of the state accident investigation agency's railway sector, lives. Papadimitriou resigned early in April, citing "personal and family reasons", having said he had received threats over his work. That followed a row over statements he made about the fireball explosion that followed the devastating train collision of Tempe in 2023. Fifty-seven people, most of them young students, were killed in February 2023 when a passenger train and a freight train collided in Tempe, central Greece, having been allowed to run on the same track. But investigators say some those who died were killed not in the crash but by an 80-metre (260-feet) fireball that came after the collision. - 'Questionable' methodology - On February 27, Papadimitriou presented a report that indicated the "possible presence" of an "unknown fuel" that could have caused the fireball, a conclusion that has divided experts. In subsequent television interviews he said that European train safety officials had pressed for this conclusion to be included in the report, but that it required further investigation. "I received threats because I continued to look into it," he told Skai TV. The fireball theory was based on "questionable" methodology that was "not universally accepted" by experts, he added. Papadimitriou mentioned that there was an alternative theory that involved train engine silicone oils. If that theory turned out to be correct, then "all trains" running in Europe" could be "dangerous", he had warned. The disaster and its aftermath have sparked strikes and hundreds of protests in Greece and abroad this year. It has also led to two votes of no confidence in the conservative government, which the administration overcame. The train's Italian-owned operator Hellenic Train has denied knowledge of any illegal cargo on the freight train. Prosecutors have so taken action against more than 40 people over the accident, including the local station master responsible for routing the trains. A trial into the accident is not expected before the end of the year. Early in April, a bomb exploded outside the Athens offices of Hellenic Train, after anonymous calls to Greek media warned of the attack near one of the capital's busiest highways. No one was injured. kan/jj
Sky News AU
04-05-2025
- Sky News AU
Greek woman, 38, killed after bomb intended for bank ATM explodes in her hands
A 38-year-old Greek woman was killed Saturday when a bomb she was allegedly planning to plant at a bank detonated in her hands, police said. The explosion happened in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki around 5 a.m., damaging several storefronts and vehicles as the bomb unexpectedly went off. 'It appears that she was carrying an explosive device and planned to plant it a bank's ATM,' a senior police official told Reuters. 'Something went wrong and exploded in her hands,' the official added. Police did not identify the woman publicly, but made note of her criminal history fueled with drugs and prostitution. She was also involved in at least one robbery, according to police. Authorities are investigating the incident, and whether the woman might have had ties to extreme leftist groups. Greece has a long history of politically motivated violence dating back to the 1970s, with domestic extremist groups carrying out small-scale bombings as well as new groups recently emerging. Saturday's explosion comes a month after a new extremist group called Revolutionary Class Struggle claimed responsibility for an explosion near the offices of railway company Hellenic Train, and the planting of another bomb near the Labor Ministry in early February — all part of an armed struggle against the state. With wires Originally published as Greek woman, 38, killed after bomb intended for bank ATM explodes in her hands
Mint
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Mint
Woman dies when bomb she is carrying explodes in Greek city of Thessaloniki, police say
A woman was killed early Saturday in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki when a bomb she was carrying exploded in her hands, police said. The 38-year-old woman apparently was carrying the bomb to place outside a nearby bank around 5 am, police said. Several storefronts and vehicles were damaged by the explosion. Police said the woman, whom they did not publicly identify, had a criminal record related to drugs and prostitution and had been involved in at least one robbery and thefts in the past. The Greek police's division for organised crime was investigating the incident, while authorities were also investigating whether the woman might have had ties to extreme leftist groups. Greece has seen occasional bombings, as well as targeted killings, attributed to various organised crime groups. The country also has a long history of politically motivated violence dating back to the 1970s, with domestic extremist groups carrying out small-scale bombings that usually cause some damage but rarely lead to injuries. While the groups most active in the 1980s and 1990s, whose preferred targets tended to be politicians, foreign businesses and diplomats, 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 device he was making exploded in a central Athens apartment. A woman inside the apartment was severely injured. It was unclear what their intended target might have been. The blast had prompted Minister of Citizen Protection Michalis Chrisochoidis to warn of an emerging new generation of domestic extremists. In April, a new group calling itself Revolutionary Class Struggle claimed responsibility for a bomb that exploded in central Athens near the offices of Hellenic Train, Greece's main railway services operator, and the planting of another bomb near the Labour Ministry in early February. The explosion near the train offices resulted in limited damage to the building and no injuries. It had been preceded by an anonymous call to local media 40 minutes before the blast warning about the device, leading police to evacuate and cordon off the area. The group that claimed responsibility said the bombing was part of an armed struggle against the state. The bombing at the train offices came shortly after the second anniversary of Greece's worst railway disaster, 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. The deadly accident sparked widespread anger and exposed severe deficiencies in Greece's railway system, including in safety systems. Some of the relatives of the victims led mass protests against the country's conservative government on the occasion of the accident's second anniversary. First Published: 3 May 2025, 01:00 PM IST
Irish Times
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
Woman killed in Greece as bomb she was carrying explodes
A woman has died in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki after a bomb she was carrying exploded in her hands. The 38-year-old woman was apparently carrying the bomb to place it outside a nearby bank at about 5am on Saturday, police said. Several storefronts and vehicles were damaged by the explosion. Police said the woman had a criminal record related to drugs and prostitution and had been involved in at least one robbery and thefts in the past. READ MORE The Greek police's organised crime division was investigating the incident, while authorities were looking into whether the woman might have had ties to extreme leftist groups. Greece has previously seen occasional bombings, as well as targeted killings, attributed to various organised crime groups. The country also has a history of politically motivated violence dating back to the 1970s, with domestic extremist groups carrying out small-scale bombings that usually cause some damage but rarely lead to injuries. While the groups most active in the 1980s and 1990s, whose preferred targets tended to be politicians, foreign businesses and diplomats, 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 device he was making exploded in a central Athens apartment. A woman inside the apartment was severely injured. It was unclear what their intended target might have been. The blast prompted minister of citizen protection Michalis Chrisochoidis to warn of an emerging new generation of domestic extremists. In April, a new group calling itself Revolutionary Class Struggle claimed responsibility for a bomb that exploded in central Athens near the offices of Hellenic Train, Greece's main railway services operator, and for the planting of another bomb near the Labour Ministry in early February. The explosion near the train offices resulted in limited damage to the building and no injuries. It had been preceded by an anonymous call to local media 40 minutes before the blast warning about the device, leading police to evacuate and cordon off the area. The group that claimed responsibility said the bombing was part of an armed struggle against the state. – AP
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Yahoo
Woman killed in Greece after bomb explodes in her hands
A woman has died in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki after a bomb she was carrying exploded in her hands. The 38-year-old was apparently attempting to place the device outside the bank early on Saturday, police reported. The blast damaged several storefronts and vehicles. 'It appears that she was carrying an explosive device and planned to plant it at a bank's ATM,' a senior police official told Reuters. 'Something went wrong and exploded in her hands,' the official added. A criminal investigation is underway. The woman was known to police for her involvement in past robberies, according to Associated Press. Authorities are reportedly investigating links to extremist left groups, the agency added. The explosion comes less than a month after a bomb exploded outside the offices of Hellenic Train in Athens. Police cordoned off the area after two Greek media organizations received warning calls that an explosive device would go off within 35 minutes, police officials said at the time. A suspicious-looking bag was spotted outside the building which was evacuated.
