Strong bomb blast outside Athens courthouse (video)

A bomb planted on a motorbike generated a powerful explosion, recorded at 8:22 a.m. local time (06.22 GMT), outside the administrative first instance courthouse in central Athens.
An unidentified caller to an Athens-area television station at 7:38 a.m. warned of an explosion in 40 minutes outside
the specific building. Damages were reported to the modern glass-and-steel building's facade as well as to nearby parked cars.
Police said the explosives-rigged motorbike was parked on the median of the wide two-way street where the courthouse stands, Louizis Riancour St. -- near Panormou metro station in the Ambelokipi district.
A cloud of smoke was visible in the area. There were no reports of injuries and authorities managed to evacuate the building, while the immediate area has been blocked off.
Caption: The building of the administrative first instance courthouse in Athens after the bomb explosion on Thursday 30 December 2010.





ANA-MPA/ PANTELIS SAITAS