Greek urban guerrilla group claims attack on Hellenic Train

ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek police said on Monday the anti-terrorism unit was investigating what appeared to be a previously unknown guerrilla group, after a group claimed responsibility for a bomb blast last week and another last year.

In a statement uploaded on Athens Indymedia website on Sunday, the Revolutionary Class Self-defence group said it carried out the April 11 explosion at railway operator Hellenic Train in response to a 2023 train crash which killed 57 people.

The explosion caused minor damage and no injuries. Police had evacuated the area after two media outlets received calls warning of the attack.

In its statement, the group said it was responding to underinvestment and safety concerns at the railway, which was privatised during Greece's 2009-2018 debt crisis. Hellenic Train, a unit of Italy's Ferrovie dello Stato, operates passenger and freight routes in Greece.

The group also claimed responsibility for a 2024 attack on the labour ministry in Athens, which also caused no injuries after police evacuated the area following a warning.

The group said it dedicated both attacks to Palestinians in the Gaza war.

Greek anti-terrorism police were examining the claim of what appeared to be a new guerrilla group, without ruling out links with groups active in the past, police spokeswoman Constantina Dimoglidou told state TV ERT.

Small-scale attacks on businesses, police, politicians and embassies are frequent in Greece, which has a long history of political violence by leftist and anarchist groups. On October 31, a bomb exploded in a flat in Athens, killing a man and injuring a woman.

(Reporting by Renee Maltezou; Editing by Peter Graff)