Makeshift bomb explodes in Athens, Greece as a warning to those attending the Summer Olympics

[conjur]

Just got that from a friend...nothing on the news sites yet.

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4969034/

Group claims responsibility for Athens bombs

Says latest blast was in protest of security measures for Olympics

Updated: 7:18 a.m. ET May 13, 2004

ATHENS - A makeshift bomb exploded outside an Athens bank on Thursday and a Greek fringe group claimed responsibility for three blasts in the city last week, saying they were to protest heavy security measures for the Olympics.

Thursday's early morning blast outside a branch of Alpha Bank caused minor damage and no casualties but will raise more concern about the safety of the Games this summer.

The group Revolutionary Struggle told the newspaper To Pontiki last week's bombs that damaged a police station but caused no casualties were a response to Olympic security plans.

"With regard to the Olympic Games we say that Greece's transformation into a fortress, NATO's involvement, the presence and activities of foreign intelligence units show clearly that (the Olympics) are not a festival like Games organizers say, but it's a war," it said in a statement sent to the newspaper.

"All members representing international capital, global mercenary killers and state officials, as well as well-off Western Olympic tourists planning to be here, are not welcome," it said.

Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis has said the recent blasts were isolated domestic incidents that did not affect the security of the Games.

"We are preparing well for the safety of the Olympic Games in order to avoid and prevent any potential threat," Karamanlis told reporters Thursday.

Banks targeted
Thursday's blast was triggered by gas canisters. Bomb squads located a bag containing a similar homemade device outside an HSBC bank branch across the road that did not go off.

The claim and latest blast came as Greek security forces started a crucial three-day Olympics safety drill three months before the start of the Games.

"Olympic Guardian II," the eighth Olympic safety drill, involves eight key ministries as well as Games organizers and other services.

"The drill's difficulty scale is escalating every day, and it tests our responses to major terrorist attacks," police spokesman Lefteris Eceonomou told Reuters.

Greece is investing about 1 billion euro ($1.19 billion) on security, several times the amount spent in the Sydney 2000 Games, and will get NATO assistance in air and sea patrols.

In 2002, the government claimed victory over what was then considered the main Olympics security threat, when it arrested leading members of the November 17 leftist guerrilla group.

Revolutionary Struggle placed a bomb outside Athens courts in September, injuring a police officer, and another outside a Citibank branch in March. Police have not made any arrests and have said they know little about the group.

In a letter left in a garbage bin near the offices of To Pontiki, the group laid out a lengthy anti-capitalist manifesto that it said explained the reasons for its armed struggle.

Late Wednesday, Greek police briefly detained five British and German journalists who entered two main Olympic venues without permits, officials said.

 

[arsbanned]

You can bet I'm not going. I have a couple close friends attending though, to watch their sister and brother-in-law compete. Huh. Hope they make out OK. Well, on the bright side, since Bush has made the World a safer place, they should be all set, right?

 

[OutHouse]

Originally posted by: arsbanned
You can bet I'm not going. I have a couple close friends attending though, to watch their sister and brother-in-law compete. Huh. Hope they make out OK. Well, on the bright side, since Bush has made the World a safer place, they should be all set, right?

dumb ass. Since when did bush start wearing the grand supreme King of the World hat?

 

[arsbanned]

Since some idiots voted for him?

 

[Corn]

The TireRack delivered the wrong tires to my car dealer. Obviously Bush is to blame. Same with me stubbing my toe earlier in the week. Bush is the devil!!!!!

You can bet I'm not going. I have a couple close friends attending though, to watch their sister and brother-in-law compete. Huh. Hope they make out OK. Well, on the bright side, since Bush has made the World a safer place, they should be all set, right?

One question you could answer for me, Ars: How many bombs went off in Salt Lake leading up to, as well as during, the last Olympic Games?

 

[conjur]

Originally posted by: Corn
The TireRack delivered the wrong tires to my car dealer. Obviously Bush is to blame. Same with me stubbing my toe earlier in the week. Bush is the devil!!!!!

stfu.

This is cause for great concern.

I wouldn't be surprised to see an horrendous attack at the Olympics.

 

[arsbanned]

Well, Corn (I didn't have any corrrrn!) I have a question for you, will you go and take all your friends and family?

 

[Corn]

Originally posted by: conjur

Originally posted by: Corn
The TireRack delivered the wrong tires to my car dealer. Obviously Bush is to blame. Same with me stubbing my toe earlier in the week. Bush is the devil!!!!!

stfu.

This is cause for great concern.

I wouldn't be surprised to see an horrendous attack at the Olympics.

Check my edit, moron. Maybe you could answer the question in Ars place?

As far as your request for me to "stfu", here you go:

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.................../..../
............./´¯/'...'/´¯¯`?¸
........../'/.../..../......./¨¯\
........('(...´...´.... ¯~/'...')
.........\.................'...../
..........\...\.......... ....?´
............\..............(
..............\.............\....

 

[Zebo]

Originally posted by: Corn
The TireRack delivered the wrong tires to my car dealer. Obviously Bush is to blame. Same with me stubbing my toe earlier in the week. Bush is the devil!!!!!

You can bet I'm not going. I have a couple close friends attending though, to watch their sister and brother-in-law compete. Huh. Hope they make out OK. Well, on the bright side, since Bush has made the World a safer place, they should be all set, right?

One question you could answer for me, Ars: How many bombs went off in Salt Lake leading up to, as well as during, the last Olympic Games?

You prolly could balme bush for your tire issues Or congress at least. First the minimum wage these warehouse workers earn is not enough to keep thier mind on the ball. Hell they prolly don't even care if they work there, 7/-11, mcdonalds or not at all, and may even place a couple bolts inside your tires while install if you give them attitude (happend to me).

 

[conjur]

Hey, Corn.

Go ahead and give the keyboard back to your mommy and daddy and go finish your multiplication tables.

 

[Corn]

Originally posted by: arsbanned
Well, Corn (I didn't have any corrrrn!) I have a question for you, will you go and take all your friends and family?

Nope. But then again, unlike our Grecian friends, our olympic games were bomb free----except when Clinton was in office. But that's another topic for another time.

Of course I can bring myself to understand why you imply Bush's complicity with problems facing their security issues--but only when I'm being intellectually lazy does this understanding reveal itself.

 

[Corn]

Originally posted by: conjur
Hey, Corn.

Go ahead and give the keyboard back to your mommy and daddy and go finish your multiplication tables.

Interesting, if not hypocritical. The childish behavior started with the following 4 letters: stfu

 

[tallest1]

Originally posted by: conjur

Originally posted by: Corn
The TireRack delivered the wrong tires to my car dealer. Obviously Bush is to blame. Same with me stubbing my toe earlier in the week. Bush is the devil!!!!!

stfu.

This is cause for great concern.

I wouldn't be surprised to see an horrendous attack at the Olympics.

I guess I'll be making the first optimistic post on this thread today:

IMO, I think the people threatening the Olympics during Bush's reign are calling for their funerals. The spanish bombing was one thing but by getting involved in an international event Bush is probably gonna get himself involved. And since Bush can only see in terms of Good vs. Evil, I wouldn't be surprised if he threw them on the "Bad bad people" list and sent some military supplements over. In short, this threat is no less productive for the rebels as the beheading was for the Iraqis

 

[AcidicFury]

Stop making this into a flamefest all of you. This is supposed to talk about the Athens Games.

I wouldn't be surprised if a bomb went off in Athens. Then we would have to go to war with Greece. Ooops, I forgot, they don't have oil.

 

[arsbanned]

Stop making this into a flamefest all of you.

Then we would have to go to war with Greece. Ooops, I forgot, they don't have oil.

Oooookayyyy? Does anyone else detect anything strange here?

 

[Crimson]

Originally posted by: AcidicFury
Stop making this into a flamefest all of you. This is supposed to talk about the Athens Games.

I wouldn't be surprised if a bomb went off in Athens. Then we would have to go to war with Greece. Ooops, I forgot, they don't have oil.

Would you libs make up your damn minds.. either we are stealing Iraq's oil or we arent.. If we are, where is it all going? Prices are up, supplies are down.. God that line is getting old.

 

[Skiguy411]

Originally posted by: arsbanned

Stop making this into a flamefest all of you.

Then we would have to go to war with Greece. Ooops, I forgot, they don't have oil.

Oooookayyyy? Does anyone else detect anything strange here?

Nice one acidic

 

[conjur]

Originally posted by: Crimson

Originally posted by: AcidicFury
Stop making this into a flamefest all of you. This is supposed to talk about the Athens Games.

I wouldn't be surprised if a bomb went off in Athens. Then we would have to go to war with Greece. Ooops, I forgot, they don't have oil.

Would you libs make up your damn minds.. either we are stealing Iraq's oil or we arent.. If we are, where is it all going? Prices are up, supplies are down.. God that line is getting old.

Wasn't part of Wolfowitz's justification for the war that the oil in Iraq would pay for the reconstruction? Hell, at this point, the oil from Iraq isn't going to be enough to fill a few potholes.

 

[Crimson]

Originally posted by: conjur

Originally posted by: Crimson

Originally posted by: AcidicFury
Stop making this into a flamefest all of you. This is supposed to talk about the Athens Games.

I wouldn't be surprised if a bomb went off in Athens. Then we would have to go to war with Greece. Ooops, I forgot, they don't have oil.

Would you libs make up your damn minds.. either we are stealing Iraq's oil or we arent.. If we are, where is it all going? Prices are up, supplies are down.. God that line is getting old.

Wasn't part of Wolfowitz's justification for the war that the oil in Iraq would pay for the reconstruction? Hell, at this point, the oil from Iraq isn't going to be enough to fill a few potholes.

Ok, then we can we stop the war for oil line after 15 years?