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Greek Police Destroy Suspected Bomb Outside Athens Ministry

by Associated Press

   ATHENS --

   Greek authorities have destroyed a time bomb placed overnight outside
   the Labor Ministry on a major thoroughfare in central Athens, after a
   warning telephone call was made to a newspaper, police said Monday. No
   injuries or damage were reported.
   A bomb disposal crew carried out three controlled explosions at about
   4:30 a.m. (0230 GMT) Monday to destroy the device, which was found in a
   backpack placed in a plastic container at the building's entrance.
   Authorities were alerted following an anonymous call to a newspaper at
   about 1 a.m. in which the caller said a bomb was to explode in 40
   minutes. A bomb squad arrived and cordoned off the area, but the device
   did not detonate.
   Police said it was not immediately clear why the device did not
   explode. Anti-terrorism police were leading the investigation and
   forensic experts were examining the remnants of the backpack and its
   contents.
   A number of small domestic extremist groups are active in Greece,
   usually carrying late-night attacks that rarely cause injuries.