Greece’s counter-terrorism police arrested three people on Friday in connection with a series of firebombings targeting individuals linked to the governing New Democracy party. The attacks, which took place at dawn on July 1 in the northern city of Thessaloniki, involved homemade gas canister explosives aimed at the homes and vehicles of three politicians.
One of the attacks resulted in the death of a 72-year-old mother of a parliamentary candidate, who died from burns at a hospital. Four other people were injured in that specific incident. While two of the three bombings caused only material damage, the third attack left five people wounded, including the woman who later passed away.
The targets included apartments housing figures of the ruling party and a building owned by a local politician. Authorities stated that the investigation into these events will continue. Greece has a long history of arson and bomb attacks against politicians, though recent incidents have typically resulted in only material damage.
In a separate development, Greek police announced the arrest of two individuals related to a 2010 arson attack in Athens. That incident, which occurred during a general strike against budget cuts at the beginning of the country's debt crisis, killed three workers who were trapped inside a bank building.