Policeman injured as bomb explodes near Church in Athens

According to local media, a policeman was injured in the blast, outside the church of Agios Dionysios in Skoufa. According to the head of the police's special guards union, Stavros Mavroidakos, the device was placed in a metallic box and was discovered by a church employee who immediately notified the police. The bomb injured the policeman who was examining the box.

There was no claim of responsibility for the attack in the heavily policed, wealthy Kolonaki quarter which borders on Exarchia, a district where clashes between police and anarchists are common.

The blast occurred around 7 a.m. local time (0500 GMT), just before the church was due to open to the public for a service at 07:30 (0530 GMT).

The police officer and a second person - identified by state TV as the church caretaker - were taken to the hospital and police cordoned off the area. Their injuries were not life-threatening, health officials said.

Witnesses cited by state television suggested the caretaker called police after finding the package. There was no warning call that the device would go off. Police were checking footage from surveillance cameras in the area.

“The blast was not powerful, the officer was injured in the face and hands,” a police official, who declined to be identified, told agencies.

Police found remnants of a timing device at the site of the blast but it was unclear if it was remote-controlled, the police official said.

Small-scale attacks on businesses, state buildings, police, and politicians are not uncommon in Greece, which has a long history of political violence.

On December 17, a powerful bomb exploded outside private Greek television station Skai, causing extensive damage but no injuries.

Again, there was no immediate claim of responsibility but armed far-left and anarchist groups have attacked news media outlets in the past.

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras issued a statement condemning the "attack by cowardly and dark forces against democracy itself."

He added: "I express my frank solidarity with the broadcaster's journalists and employees."