Athens News Agency: News in English, 10-11-02

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] Second explosion outside embassy in Athens

[02] Foreign ministry briefs embassies on parcel incidents

[03] One arrested after shootout between police in Paleo Faliro (recasts)

[01] Second explosion outside embassy in Athens

The Swiss embassy explosion was caused by a parcel bomb that arrived via a courier firm but was promptly detected by embassy employees and taken outdoors, where it exploded.

Another three suspected parcel bombs have been neutralised through controlled explosions on Tuesday so far. One was at the Bulgarian embassy, a second was intercepted near Parliament and a third at the courier firm 'Geniki Tachidromiki' at the junction of Rizari and Georgiou streets.

The third package was addressed to the German embassy in Athens but embassy security staff refused to accept this when it was delivered and called the police. Shortly afterward, a bomb squad neutralised the parcel through a controlled explosion at the courier firm's offices where the package was returned.

The package detected by security officers in Parliament was addressed to someone working at the Chilean embassy and the sender was identified as the company Larko. This package was sent to security officers at the prime minister's office for inspection using specialised equipment for detecting explosives.

The equipment confirmed that the package was dangerous and it was then taken out into the courtyard in Parliament and neutralised via a controlled explosion.

Parliament security also investigated a suspicious package sent to the political office of former premier Costas Simitis, which contained a replica of an explosive device but finally proved harmless.

A further controlled explosion is expected to be carried out on a parcel delivered to the embassy of Panama in Piraeus on Tuesday.

Following the controlled explosion at the Bulgarian embassy, there was a telephone call between Foreign Minister Dimitris Droutsas and his Bulgarian counterpart Nikolai Mladenov. The Bulgarian minister thanked Droutsas for the immediate and professional response of Greek security forces. So far, there is no information about who the parcel was addressed to and who was presented as the sender.

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[02] Foreign ministry briefs embassies on parcel incidents

The foreign ministry also contacted the foreign embassies that were the recipients of suspicious envelops through the mail.

The foreign diplomatic missions expressed appreciation to the foreign ministry for the speedy update and the Greek Police's swift and successful reactions, the foreign ministry announced.

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[03] One arrested after shootout between police in Paleo Faliro (recasts)

According to reports, police attempted to make a routine check on the car, but the driver sped off while one of the two men in the car opened fire on the officers.

Police returned the fire and managed to arrest one of the two suspects, an Albanian national who was later found to be an inmate out on a prison furlough that expired on Tuesday, no less.

A manhunt was continuing to find and arrest the second suspect.

The suspects are believed to have robbed, at gunpoint, a local supermarket earlier in the day.

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