Anarchist group claims responsibility for Athens tax office attack
An unknown anarchist group claimed on Thursday an attack on a tax office in the northern Athens suburb of Maroussi as retaliation for the jailing of an anarchist.
In a statement on a website, the group Effectively Solidary Anarchists said it used “two kilos of explosive material” for the blast which they claimed to be in solidarity with imprisoned self-styled anarchist Yannis Michaelides, who is on hunger strike since May 23. He became known as the “Toxovolos tou Syntagmatos” (Archer of the Constitution) when he attacked the Parliament building during the February 2011 riots using a bow and arrow.
He is serving a prison sentence for armed bank robbery and attempted manslaughter during a scuffle with police officers in Pefki, northern Athens.
Since the beginning of the year he has been seeking his conditional release after serving one third of the 20-year prison sentence. He has been on hunger strike for 45 days, following two decisions which rejected his release requests.
The blast at the tax office was powerful enough to break several windows on the building’s facade and to damage the outer courtyard wall. It did not cause any injuries, mainly thanks to the fact that no one was in the building or walking past it at the time.
Investigators looking into the case are concerned about the fact that there had been no warning call made to the police ahead of the attack, which involved an explosive device being detonated outside the building on Plataion Street.
The investigation has been handed over to the police’s counterterrorism unit, which is looking at security camera footage from the broader vicinity in the hopes of identifying the assailants or gleaning more clues concerning their activities.
