Far-left Greek group suspected in Israeli Embassy attack
Gunmen fire at least 54 rounds from a Kalashnikov rifle at Athens building; Israel blames PA ‘incitement’
Greek police on Friday said a far-left local group was likely responsible for the Thursday attack on the Israeli Embassy in Athens that saw the building sprayed with extensive gunfire but no one hurt.
Two Kalashnikov assault rifles used in the attack had been used in a similar attack on the residence of the German ambassador last December by the People’s Fighter Group, a police source said.
A gunman riding on the back of a motorcycle raked the embassy with at least 54 rounds from a Kalashnikov rifle, police said, as it passed the embassy, which sits on the corner of a busy road in the affluent northern suburbs of the Greek capital.
Television footage showed bullet holes on the side of the embassy building.
The Israeli government blamed the attack on a “hate campaign” by Palestinian authorities over the death of a Palestinian official following a confrontation with Israeli soldiers in the West Bank on Wednesday.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry on Friday said the drive-by shooting was “the result of Palestinian incitement against Israel,” which it claimed was led by the Palestinian Authority.
In a statement, the ministry condemned the attack, in which no one was injured, and blamed PA leadership and pro-Palestinian groups for incitement “spread throughout the world.”
The Greek government condemned the incident.
“Any terrorist attack hitting at the heart of democracy hits at the heart of the country,” government spokeswoman Sophia Voultepsi told Reuters.
“The Greek government is fully determined to ensure the protection of all diplomatic missions in Greece,” a Foreign Ministry statement said. “Of course, particularly strong security and protection measures are in force at the Israeli embassy.”
Gunman ’emptied clip’
“There were two bursts of gunfire…they must have emptied an entire clip,” the attendant of a neighboring petrol station told reporters.
Another two people on a second motorcycle were suspected of also taking part in the attack, which happened at 3:20 am (0120 GMT).
Public Order Minister Vassilis Kikilias, who visited the scene, told the Ana news agency, “No one is going to affect the relations between Greece and Israel.”
Relations between the two have warmed considerably recently as tensions have risen between Israel and Turkey, once a close ally of the Jewish state.
“Every terrorist attack is an assault on democracy and the country,” said Voultepsi, who added the Athens was taking “determined steps” against terror groups.
In January 2013, a small left-wing terrorist group called “Popular Fighters” claimed responsibility for a similar gunfire attack outside the German ambassador’s residence in Athens, which caused no injury. In 1999, the residence was hit with a rocket.
In 2007, another rocket was fired at the US embassy in Athens without injuring anyone.
All three attacks were claimed by far-left groups, two of which have since been dismantled by the police.
But the People’s Fighter Group remains active and its members at large.
The Times of Israel Community.