THESSALONIKI, Greece — In a tragic incident early Saturday morning, a woman lost her life due to a bomb explosion in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki. According to police, the explosion occurred in her hands as she was seemingly on her way to plant the bomb outside a bank at around 5 a.m. The explosion not only claimed her life, but also caused damage to various storefronts and vehicles in the vicinity.
The victim, identified only as a 38-year-old woman, had a checkered past involving criminal activities such as drug-related offenses and prostitution. Her record also included involvement in robbery and thefts. The Greek police’s division for organized crime has taken charge of the investigation and is exploring the possibility of her having connections with extreme leftist groups.
Greece has witnessed sporadic incidents of bombings and targeted killings linked to organized crime groups. The nation has a notable history of political violence, with domestic extremist factions conducting small-scale bombings dating back to the 1970s. These incidents generally cause structural damage, while casualties are infrequent.
While many of the active extremist groups of the 1980s and 1990s have been dismantled, smaller groups have surfaced in recent years. Notably, last year saw an individual perish while assembling a bomb that detonated prematurely in an Athens apartment. A woman present at the scene suffered severe injuries. Authorities have not disclosed any planned target for that incident.
The explosion led to a statement from Minister of Citizen Protection Michalis Chrisochoidis, warning of a potential resurgence of domestic extremist activities. Earlier this year, a group named Revolutionary Class Struggle claimed responsibility for a bomb blast in Athens, near the offices of Hellenic Train, and another near Greece’s Labor Ministry in February. The train office explosion resulted in minor damage without injuries, as precautionary measures were taken following a warning call received 40 minutes prior to the blast.
This activist group declared their actions as part of an armed conflict against the state. Such actions occurred around the second anniversary of a catastrophic railway accident in Greece, where 57 individuals died, and many more were injured when a passenger and freight train collided after being mistakenly placed on the same track—a tragedy that incited public outrage and highlighted significant flaws in Greece’s railway safety systems.
The bereaved families of the accident victims have since led ardent protests against the administration, voicing their discontent with the government’s handling and oversight of the railway infrastructure.