Greece - New extremist group claims responsibility for Athens bombing

Site of blast on Syngrou Avenue, Athens.

Intelligence Update

On 11 April 2025, an explosion occurred outside the office of Hellenic Train building, Greece’s main railway company, on Syngrou Avenue in Athens. Local media reported that the bomb went off at 2135hrs (local), 42 minutes after a telephone warning had been given to a newspaper and a news website. According to Efimerida ton Syntakton, a male caller gave a timeframe of 35 to 40 minutes and insisted it was not a joke. A suspicious-looking bag was spotted outside the building, and police evacuated the area.

The explosion caused minor damage and no injuries. Surveillance footage making the rounds on X (formerly Twitter) showed a suspect, dressed in a beanie, medical mask and sunglasses, approaching a pillar in front of the company’s headquarters. The individual secures a backpack to the pillar before quickly walking away. The footage also shows a second person, believed to be an accomplice, accompanying the perpetrator from a safe distance and talking on a mobile phone.

Who was responsible?

The “Revolutionary Class Struggle", a newly emerged extremist group, claimed responsibility for the incident. The group made their claim via a post on the "Athens Indymedia" website and also took credit for a similar incident involving explosives at the Labour Ministry building in Athens in February 2024. In a lengthy statement, the group blamed Hellenic Train, a subsidiary of Italy’s Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane, for the 2023 rail disaster when a freight train and a passenger train were accidentally directed onto the same track near Tempi, killing 57 people and injuring dozens more. Hellenic Train, which now operates as a subsidiary of Italy’s Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane following its sale in 2017, was previously part of Greece’s state-owned railway system. With the blood not yet dry, they attributed the accident to human error and the ‘chronic deficiencies of the Greek state’," the group wrote, accusing the government of using the tragedy to justify further privatisation and deregulation. Many Greeks perceive the disaster as evidence of neglect of the country’s railways in recent decades and also of a persistent failure by the state to address safety concerns. The tragedy prompted mass protests across the country as demonstrators called for politicians to be held accountable for the incident. The group also paid tribute to Kyriakos Xymitiris, a man who was killed in 2024 when the explosive device he was assembling exploded in an apartment in Athens.

Who are Revolutionary Class Self-Defence?

The group identifies with a radical, anti-capitalist, and anti-authoritarian ideology. In manifestos posted to online platforms, Revolutionary Class Self-Defence has linked its actions to broader political and social struggles, citing opposition to capitalist structures, state repression, and solidarity with Palestine. Greek authorities said they are actively investigating the attacks. Police spokeswoman Constantina Dimoglidou told local media that anti-terrorism police were examining the claim of what appeared to be a new guerrilla group, without ruling out links with groups active in the past.

Assessment:

Authorities raised concerns about the re-emergence of homegrown extremist groups, which have carried out low-scale bombings since the 1970s. The attacks often result in damage, but rarely any injuries. Although older networks have been dismantled, newer factions have surfaced in recent years.

GSA Forecast:

The group is likely to increase the frequency of attacks unless they are convinced that those responsible for the disaster are held accountable. This is likely to result in more sophisticated and/or coordinated incidents in the near term. Growing discontent and dissatisfaction with the economy and government policies are likely to be a main recruitment point.