1 hurt in bomb blast outside Greek prison, dozens windows shattered

1 hurt in bomb blast outside Greek prison

ATHENS, Greece — A powerful bomb blast outside Greece’s largest prison late Thursday left one woman injured and nearby homes damaged, police said.

The explosion outside Korydallos prison occurred after a warning telephone call to an Athens newspaper, giving police about 20 minutes to cordon off the area.

Police said the blast — heard across western parts of the Greek capital — shattered apartment block and storefront windows for several blocks.

The injured woman was being treated for glass cuts at a state hospital and her condition was not serious, police and government health officials said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing, but suspicion fell on radical Greek militant groups that have stepped up attacks in recent years.

Last month, authorities arrested and charged six people with membership of Greece’s most active militant left wing group. The Revolutionary Struggle organization fired a rocket-propelled grenade at the U.S. embassy in Athens in 2007, causing no injuries.

Several suspected members of that group are being held at Korydallos on pretrial detention.