Greek Leftists Attack US Embassy

ATHENS, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Suspected leftist guerrillas fired a rocket-propelled grenade at the U.S. embassy in Athens on Friday, causing minor damage, in the boldest attack staged by left-wing militants in years. The blast shattered windows and woke up nearby residents in in the central Athens area at 5:58 AM (0358 GMT) but no one was hurt, police said.

The grenade was launched just across the street from the heavily guarded embassy building, which is surrounded by a 3-metre-high (9-feet-high) steel fence, and authorities were dealing with the attack as a serious act of violence. Apparently aimed at the U.S. seal on the building's facade, the attack was the worst assault on the mission, often the target of Greek protests and demonstrations, in a decade.

"There are one or two anonymous phone calls which claim that the Revolutionary Struggle was behind the attack," Public Order Minister Byron Polydoras told reporters outside the embassy. "Most likely, it is an act by local perpetrators." More.

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