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Greece suspends air mail after parcel bomb attacks
Greece has suspended international air mail for two days after a spate of suspicious packages were sent to embassies in Athens and to other European targets.
BBC reports say more than 10 suspicious packages have been sent in total since the weekend.
The bombs are believed to be the work of an extreme left-wing group, The Conspiracy of the Cells of Fire, which has been active since the Greek riots of 2008.
One package from Athens was discovered in a private courier plane addressed to Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, but it was re-routed to Bologna airport in Italy.
The package caught fire on examination but noone was hurt.
Other European leaders were targeted, including Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
Last night, explosive experts destroyed two parcel bombs at Athens airport’s cargo terminal. They were addressed to international police organisation Europol in the Netherlands and the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg.
In earlier incidences, parcel bombs exploded at the Swiss and Russian embassies in Athens and a suspected bomb was destroyed at the Bulgarian embassy.
Another, addressed to the Chilean embassy, was destroyed after being found in a delivery van outside the Greek parliament.
Greek authorities have stressed there is no connection between the parcel bombs and al-Qaeda.
Greece will hold vital local elections this weekend.
Sunvil managing director Noel Josephides claimed the incidences would have little impact on sales to the Greek mainland and the islands.
“We expected that once the tourist season was over and everyone returned to Athens that these incidents would recur,” he said.
“I doubt it will have any impact at all on bookings except those from the US.
“Our bookings for Greece for 2011 are well ahead and Athens, even if it is affected, will have little impact on sales to the mainland and the islands.”
By Bev Fearis
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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