Police investigating the explosion near the offices of the Hellenic trains

There was an explosion in the center of Athens, near the offices of the Greek railway company Hellenic Train.

Video surveillance images captured the moment when the explosion seemed to tear a backpack, which would have left the office block late Friday.

Police said anonymous calls had been launched on the Greek media warning of the attack, which occurred near one of the capital’s busiest highways, LeoForos Andrea Siggrou. No deaths or injury has been reported.

The Minister of Transport of Greece, Christos Staikouras, condemned him as a “criminal act”, who “endangered people’s lives”.

Local media EfSyn, a daily Greek newspaper, and the Zugla website – which both received a call – said that the explosive device had apparently been placed in a backpack as registered and placed on a scooter without license plates.

An elimination team of police bombs arrived too late to explode the aircraft safely before its explosion, they said.

Staikouras, the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, said that the attack was “an absolutely condemnable act”.

“This is a criminal act, which endangered the lives of people, employees and passers-by, in a central point of Athens and during rush hour,” he said in a statement.

“Nothing justifies terrorism, no act of violence brings justice. The authorities and the judiciary now have the floor,” added Staikouras.

The Hellenic train has only confirmed no employee or a citizen who was injured was injured and the explosion caused “limited material damage”.

“Our company unequivocally condemns all forms of violence and tensions that feed a climate of toxicity that undermines all progress.”

Although the cause of the explosion is not yet known, it occurs in the midst of generalized public anger in the face of a rail disaster that took place more than two years ago.

In February 2023 a freight train and a traveler train The transport of 350 people, led in opposite directions, has accidentally put on the same track. Fifty-seven people, most of them, of young students, died. Dozens of others were injured.

Since then, multiple demonstrations have taken place in Greece, including earlier this year to mark the second anniversary of the accident.

These demonstrations went down into violence, with Capuchon demonstrators seen throwing rocks and petrol bombs in the police. The police responded with tear gas and water cannons.

An investigation concluded in February that the train accident was caused by a human error, poor interview and inadequate staff.

A date for a trial remains to be announced.