A group of some 20 youths attacked the Acropolis police station in central Athens with petrol bombs early Saturday, causing substantial damage but no injuries in the worst case of violence from self-styled anarchists for several weeks.

The youths rode past the building on motorcycles early on Saturday morning and threw several Molotov cocktails which set fire to six police patrol cars and a motorcycle, officers said. The vehicles were completely destroyed.

A number of nearby shop windows were also smashed and several entrances to apartment blocks suffered damage from the fire caused by the petrol bombs. Nobody was injured and no arrests were made, police said.

The incident was the most destructive rampage by anarchists since the beginning of September, when a group of around 50 youths damaged two cars and shops outside the National Technical University in central Athens.