Authorities now say the explosion at the US embassy in Athens was cause by a rocket propelled grenade (RPG-18) fired from a building across the street from the US compound. At this time the police are saying it was Greek leftists who launched the attack. They have actually done exactly that once before in 1996.
"There are one or two anonymous phone calls which claim that the Revolutionary Struggle was behind the attack," Public Order Minister Byron Polydoras told reporters outside the embassy. "Most likely, it is an act by local perpetrators."
The leftist guerrilla group has emerged as the most serious domestic threat since the dismantling of the deadly November 17 group in 2002. It claimed an assassination attempt against Greece's culture minister in May and a bomb at the Economy Ministry which wounded two people 13 months ago.
"I am treating this as a very serious attack," U.S. ambassador to Athens, Charles Ries, told reporters. "The embassy was attacked in a senseless act of violence."
Police said an east European-made RPG-18 rocket launcher was used to fire the grenade, which landed inside a toilet on the third floor, slightly damaging the glass facade and ceiling. The portable launcher has not been found.
The RPG-18 used a High Explosive Anti-Tank (HEAT) warhead and is a single use weapon. Here is a chronology of terror attacks that describe the 1996 rocket attack in Athens. Absent a lucky break, this may take time for the Greek authorities to unravel – if they ever actually catch the perpetrators. The government and Greek political parties are actively and vocally condemning the attack and are vowing to catch the guilty parties, so we'll see.
