Greece troubled by bombing campaign

ATHENS, Greece, Oct. 30 (UPI) -- A small bomb exploded near a European Parliament member's apartment in central Athens Friday, in the latest of a string of terrorist attacks in Greece.

The bomb was placed in front of the building where Marietta Giannakou, a Greek MEP, lives. It detonated in the morning hours, damaging nearby vehicles and shattering windows. No one was injured, the BBC reports. A local newspaper received a warning call from an unknown man before the explosion. A little-known radical group, the Organization for the Proletarian Popular Self-Defense, claimed responsibility for the attack in a letter to a daily Greek newspaper.

Two smaller bombs were detonated near the Spanish consulate in Thessaloniki and a car dealership in Athens, also without resulting in injuries.

Authorities are now on high alert in Greece after several attacks during the past days.

On Wednesday in northern Athens, several hooded gunmen on motorcycles opened fire with their automatic rifles on a police station, injuring six police officers. Authorities said it was pure luck that no one was killed, adding that the attackers fired some 100 rounds of ammunition.

Greek President Karolos Papoulias called the attack, which shocked the country, "cowardly terrorist." No organization has claimed responsibility for the shooting.

Police have launched a manhunt for the attackers, stopping and searching vehicles and increasing their presence across the country.

In June an anti-terrorism police officer was killed in Athens by the far-left militant group Rebel Sect.

Greece has been troubled by frequent bombings and arson attacks targeting banks, multinational corporations and police stations since police shot a teenager on Dec. 6, 2008. The fatal shooting sparked the worst riots the country had seen in decades.

The country's new Socialist government, which has vowed to crack down on left-wing extremism in the country, is now bracing for more violence as the anniversary of the boy's death approaches.