Explosion damages Masonic Hall in central Athens
A small-scale explosion of an improvised explosive device caused limited damage to a Masonic Hall in central Athens on Thursday morning.
Police said it received a call from an unknown person at 6.30 a.m. who reported that a bomb had been placed on 2 Sourmeli Street, the address of the Athens Masonic Hall, without mentioning the time of explosion.
Officers arrived at the scene and cordoned off a section of the street. Shortly after the police arrived, the device went off, causing a small fire outside the building but no injuries. A bomb disposal unit found a second device inside the building which was destroyed in a controlled explosion.
According to state-run broadcaster ERT, local residents who heard the first explosion called the police and spoke of a noticeable shock wave.
Acharnon Avenue remained closed causing severe traffic in adjoining streets.
The first Masonic Lodge to operate in Greece, was established in Corfu, in 1811.
