Bomb attack on Citibank Greece

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Greece's anti - terrorism unit is investigating last night's bomb attack on a branch of Citibank in the Athens suburbs of Nea Ionia. The homemade device, which exploded at 3am resulted in no casualties but did extensive damage to the surrounding area is the second involving Citibank branches.

The first bomb, which contained 60 kilos of homemade explosives stuffed inside propane gas cannisters hidden in a parked car outside a branch of the bank in Kiffisias, Athens three weeks ago. The device failed to explode and was neutralised by the bomb squad.

The reappearence of urban terrorism has taken the Greek authorities by surprise and the inability of the police force to make progress in their investigations into the series of violent incidents that have taken place since the December's mass protests and riots has led to a reshuffle of the top positions in Athens's law enforcement agencies.

The 17th November terrorist group managed to act with impunity for nearly 30 years until 2002 when a member of the group was arrested after an explosive device he was carrying exploded prematurely. His capture, the first by the Greek police since the group's inception in 1973 lead to the conviction of other members and the end of group's activities.

Doubts still remain about who is responsible for the recent spate of bomb attacks in the Greek capital. In a report in the national daily newspaper, Kathimerini senior police officials were quoted as attributing responsibility to the far left armed group, Epanastatikos Agonas (Revolutionary Struggle) which has claimed responsibilty for a series of recent gunattacks on police targets in the capital. The group considers itself an off shoot of 17th November.

However, the size and level of technical sophistication of the explosive devices involved in the two recent bomb attacks are a break from the recent past and the tactics of other anti - government groups who usually limit themselves to small, improvised explosive devices called "gazakia" (named after the small camping gas cannisters that are used) and arson attacks using Molotov cocktails.

On the other hand gangland style assasinations using automatic weapons and more recently, car bomb attacks connected with drugs, prostitution and protection rackets have become more and more common over the last few years as the authorities struggle to combat the rise in organised crime in Greece.