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FRANCE - GREeCE

France's Athens embassy in grenade attack

Two men on a motorbike threw a grenade at the French embassy in Athens early on Thursday morning, slighly injuring a police officer. Police believe the attack could be the work of local anarchists.

Forensics experts search for evidence outside the French Embassy in Athens
Forensics experts search for evidence outside the French Embassy in Athens Reuters/Alkis Konstantinidis
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The police officer was taken to hospital with injuries to his legs after the attack at 5.00am on one of the Greek capital's main avenues, opposite the parliament building.

It did little damage to the building, leaving a small hole in the pavement and shrapnel marks on the embassy gate and the guard post.

"Given the minor damage, it is likely a symbolic attack," a police source told the AFP news agency.

Police are working on the theory that it is the work of local anarchists, some of whom have staged previous assaults on diplomatic, economic and political targets.

In October they announced a plan to attack French interests in support of the call for the release of Georges Ibrahim Abdallah, a member of the Lebanese Armed Revolutionary Factions group who has been serving a life sentence in France since 1987 for the murder and attempted murder American and Israeli diplomats here.

Investigators said they have not ruled out the possibility of Thursday's attack being a response to the rise of the far right in France, following National Front leader Marine Le Pen's message of congratulations to US president-elect Donald Trump.

Police are examining a stolen motorbike found in the Athens district of Exarchia, which is popular with anarchists, to see if it is connected with the crime.

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