Athens blast caused by home-made bomb, guerrillas suspected - police officials

A deadly explosion in an Athens apartment on Thursday was caused by a home-made bomb and authorities suspect it could be linked to local guerrilla groups, police and Greek officials said on Friday.

Two guns, bullets, mobile phones and digital evidence have been confiscated from the site of the blast, which killed one man and seriously injured a woman, police said in a statement. The man killed has not yet been identified.

Police believe the evidence may link the case to anti-establishment guerrilla groups and suspect the blast occurred while the bomb was being made, a police official told Reuters.

"It remains to be seen if this was an attempt to revive a third generation of guerrillas," the official said.

Greece has a long history of political violence. Since its most lethal group "November 17" was dismantled in 2002, several other left-wing and anarchist groups have emerged, declaring war on all forms of governments.

Small bomb and arson attacks were frequent during the country's 2009-18 debt crisis, most of them targeting politicians, judges, embassies and businesses.

They have abated in recent years but still occur.