Bomb blasts, grenade launchers, the discovery of incendiary devices outside vulnerable targets are just some of a number of recent events that have reinforced the belief that organized crime continues to rage in the capital. Within a month, a store with traditional Cretan products in Nea Eritrea, an Italian restaurant in Nea Smyrni, a private house in Menidi were bombed, and just last night, unknown persons planted a backpack with gas cartridges near the house. warden of the Korydallos prison in Dafni, and on another occasion they threw a grenade into a candy store in Pagrati. Its leaders GREEK POLICE. note that these cases are unrelated and attribute the recent rise in specific incidents to indirect causes.

March 14, New Eritrea

In particular, the first of them was recorded early in the morning on March 14 in New Eritrea. Unidentified persons planted and detonated an explosive device in a shop of traditional products at the intersection of Venizelos and Strofiliou streets. The explosion was powerful and caused serious material damage to the store. The investigation has been entrusted to the North East Attica Security Sub-Directorate, but so far it has not been possible to establish anything about the identity or motives of the perpetrators. It is worth noting that in 2021, the owners of the chain of stores in question were accused of being associated with a plantation of over 20,000 cannabis seedlings in the Anavyssos area, with the defendants claiming that it was a licensed industrial hemp business.

March 23, Menidi

Just 9 days later, at 5:00 am on March 23, unidentified persons planted an incendiary device in the courtyard of a house in Menidi. The explosion damaged two parked cars, as well as the entrance of an apartment building. Information from police sources, not confirmed by official sources, links the incident to the activities of cigarette smuggling gangs.

Early on Friday morning, unidentified people tried to blow up the house of the director of the Korydallos prison in Daphne.

March 24, New Smyrni

Just 24 hours later, the Cavaliere restaurant in Nea Smyrni was the target of an arson attack. According to a restaurant employee, early in the morning on Friday, March 24, unknown people broke the glass of the restaurant and threw a flare inside. Immediately after this, a fire broke out, took on a large size and threatened to spread to the apartments above the restaurant. In fact, firefighters had to pull a woman with a child out of the house on the third floor. The case is being investigated by the prosecutor’s office for extortion, as it is believed that the attack is related to the actions of gangs.

Recent Links

The last two links in the attack chain were added early yesterday morning. In one case, unidentified persons threw a grenade at a pagrati shop in Pagrati. The attack took place at 2.40 am on Pyrronos Street, and the explosion damaged the premises of the enterprise, as well as cars parked outside. The incident was investigated by the Athens Sub-Directorate of Security with the assistance of the Extortion Prosecution Authority, but the first information was that the owners of the confectionery declared ignorance of the identity and possible motives of the perpetrators.

At night, unknown persons also attempted to carry out an attack with gas cartridges on the house of the head of the Korydallos prison in Dafni. The incident was noticed in the morning when the police received a message about the presence of a backpack with gas, flammable liquid and a candle at a distance of 20 meters from the entrance of the apartment building where the director of the colony lives. It is not clear why the attackers dropped the backpack a few meters away without detonating the device. Security officials investigating the incident do not rule out that the perpetrators noticed the presence of police officers in the area and abandoned the backpack for fear of arrest.

It is noted that ten years ago, the director of the Korydallos prison was the victim of a terrorist attack, the criminals planted and detonated an explosive device in her car. The Department of State Security is conducting a preliminary investigation into the incident.