Bomb blast damages 2 bank branches in Athens

A small homemade bomb exploded outside two adjacent bank branches in downtown Athens overnight, slightly damaging the banks but causing no injuries, police said Friday.

Photo: Bomb blast damages 2 bank branches in Athens

The explosion, caused by a bomb made of cooking gas canisters, shattered windows of the branches of Emporiki and National banks in the central Kolonaki neighborhood, while a small fire that ensued caused minor damage before firefighters extinguished it, police said.

In a separate attack in the northern city of Thessaloniki, a gas canister bomb exploded in a diplomatic car belonging to a Swede working for a Balkans reconstruction organization, damaging the car's interior, police said. It was the second time the man's car was hit, they said. Authorities did not immediately release the man's name or further details of the attack, reports AP.

Meanwhile, police in the central Greek town of Itea said they had arrested a 55-year-old man for possession of dynamite, fuses and pistols. However, counter-terrorist police conducting the investigation said they doubted the man, who formerly worked at a nearby quarry, was involved in any terrorist activity.