Greek guerrilla group claims bombing in protest of train crash

Greek police are investigating a previously unknown urban guerrilla group after it claimed responsibility for a recent bomb blast at a railway operator, as well as an earlier attack in 2023.

The group, calling itself the Revolutionary Class Self-defence, issued a statement on Athens' Indymedia website on Sunday, claiming it carried out the April 11 bombing at Hellenic Train in response to a deadly train crash that killed 57 people last year.

The explosion caused minor damage but no injuries. Authorities had evacuated the area after receiving warnings from two media outlets about the planned attack.

The group said the attack was a protest against the underinvestment and safety issues at Hellenic Train, which was privatised during Greece's 2009-2018 debt crisis. The company, part of Italy’s Ferrovie dello Stato, operates both passenger and freight services in Greece.

In its statement, the group also took credit for a bomb attack on the Greek Ministry of Labour in 2024, which also resulted in no injuries after police evacuated the area.

Both attacks, the group said, were dedicated to the Palestinians in the ongoing Gaza conflict.

Greek anti-terrorism officials are investigating the claims and have not ruled out any links to previously active groups. Police spokeswoman Constantina Dimoglidou told state TV ERT that the authorities are still assessing the situation.

While political violence by left-wing and anarchist groups is common in Greece, the recent attacks have raised concerns about the return of more serious guerrilla activity. In a separate incident on October 31, a bomb exploded in an Athens apartment, killing one man and injuring a woman.

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