Bomb at Greek church injures 2 after no warning given

A crudely-made bomb exploded outside one of Athens' most important churches early Thursday, injuring its caretaker and a police officer troubling authorities as the attack took place without warning in one of the capital's busiest areas.

Police officials said the timed device exploded outside the Orthodox church of Saint Dionysius the Areopagite in the upscale Kolonaki area of the capital before a Christmas holiday service to mark St Stephen's day.

The two victims were hospitalised. Neither of the men has injuries that are life-threatening, according to police and church officials. The blast caused minimal damage.

Father Symeon Voliotis, an aide at the archbishop's office, said the caretaker found the explosive device at the front entrance of the church, moved it to a nearby parking space, and alerted police.

"Any action that threatens life or disturbs the peace must be condemned," he told state-run ERT television.

"My first thought was that someone homeless may have been hurt, because they often seek shelter there. But fortunately that was not the case."
"The service was due to start as 7:30 but quite often, people go earlier to light a candle."