Greece: Extremist group claims railway office attack

Greek anti-terrorism investigators said Monday they were looking into a previously unknown extremist group that claimed responsibility for a bomb blast outside the offices of railway company Hellenic Train last week. 

No one was injured in the blast last Friday evening, but the office building's facade sustained significant damage. The perpetrators had called two media organizations warning of the planned blast ahead of time. 

The group, calling itself "Revolutionary Class Struggle," claimed responsibility for the blast Sunday in a post on the "Athens Indymedia" website. 

The group also claimed a 2024 attack on the Labor Ministry in Athens, which also caused no injuries as the group gave a warning, allowing police to evacuate the area.

Why did extremist group target Greece's Hellenic Train?

They said their targeting of Hellenic Train was a response to the company's alleged neglect of Greece's rail system, which they hold responsible for a deadly 2023 train crash. 

The crash was Greece's deadliest, with 57 people killed and dozens injured when a freight train and a passenger train were accidentally put on the same track and collided head-on. 

Relatives of victims and opposition parties have put the blame on civil authorities and the train company for the crash, and have carried out mass protests. 

The ongoing investigation of the crash has implicated 43 state officials, including a station master.

Hellenic Train is a private train company in Greece that runs most passenger and freight operations. It used to be part of the Hellenic Railways Organisation (OSE), the Greek national railway company, until it was sold to due to Italy's "Ferrovie dello Stato" train operator during the Greek economic crisis.  

Greece has a long history of politically motivated violence such as small-scale attacks on businesses, police, politicians and embassies by leftist and anarchist groups. The attacks often result in damaged property but rarely cause injuries. 

Edited by: Wesley Rahn