Particle.news
Download on the App Store
4 ARTICLES
·
last wk.

Pre‑Dawn Firebombs in Thessaloniki Target Homes Linked to Greece’s Ruling Party

Prompting an anti‑terror investigation and public protests, the attacks mark a rare deadly escalation in targeted political violence in Greece.

Burned out cars, after attackers firebombed three residential buildings linked to Greece's governing party in the northern city of Thessaloniki, Greece, July 1, 2026. REUTERS/Alexandros Avramidis
THESSALONIKI, GREECE - JULY 1: A view of burned vehicles on the roof of an apartment building in Thessaloniki, Greece on July 1, 2026. A barrage of attacks with improvised incendiary devices (gas canisters) occurred in the early hours of the morning in Thessaloniki, targeting the entrances of apartment buildings where New Democracy officials reside or used to reside. (Photo by Achilleas Chiras/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Overview

  • Three near‑simultaneous pre‑dawn blasts used flaming butane canisters outside apartment buildings in Thessaloniki, police said, with the incidents occurring in the hour before 5 a.m. on Wednesday.
  • Five people were hospitalized with burns and smoke inhalation and a 72‑year‑old woman who was the mother of New Democracy candidate Afroditi Nestora died after treatment at a Thessaloniki hospital.
  • Media and officials named the parents of Nestora and two other New Democracy figures as targets, and police reported cars and motorcycles were set ablaze and multiple vehicles were damaged.
  • Greece’s anti‑terrorism unit has taken charge of the probe, no group has claimed responsibility, and government and party leaders condemned the attacks while calling for a forceful response.
  • The violence fits a decades‑long pattern of sporadic bombings and arson by small militant groups in Greece and could lead to higher security at politicians’ homes and heightened political tensions, including rallies called by New Democracy.