Police station in Athens attacked

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Gunmen have attacked a police station in the Greek capital, Athens, causing some damage but no injuries.

A police spokesman said shots were fired at the station in the suburb of Korydallos and that a hand grenade was thrown, but had failed to explode.

Investigators said they suspected the left-wing group Revolutionary Struggle was behind the pre-dawn attack.

Last month, the group claimed it was responsible for shooting and seriously wounding a policeman in central Athens.

Revolutionary Struggle said it was a response to the fatal shooting of a teenager by police in December, which sparked the worst riots in Greece for decades.

The policeman who shot 15-year-old Alexis Grigoropoulos has been charged with murder.

'Troubling'

A police spokesman said at least three assailants were involved in the attack on the police station in Korydallos. Two were armed with automatic weapons while the other threw the grenade.

Clearly, there is an effort to take the life of policemen - I don't think anyone can doubt that Stavros MavroidakosPolice officers' representative

"About 16 9mm shell casings, probably from an MP5 automatic weapon, were found and are being examined at the lab," he said. "The incident is being investigated by the counter-terrorism police."

The spokesman said the gunmen had aimed at the guard post outside the station.

The sentry inside fell to the floor as soon as he saw flashes from the attackers' weapons and was not wounded, he added.

He said a local newspaper had received a claim of responsibility soon after the attack and that police were investigating.

Later, the newspaper Ta Nea said on its website that it had been called by someone on behalf of Revolutionary Struggle.

Stavros Mavroidakos, the deputy head of a police officers' association, said Tuesday's attack was troubling.

"Clearly, there is an effort to take the life of policemen - I don't think anyone can doubt that," he told the Associated Press.

Correspondents say police have been subjected to repeated attacks since Alexis Grigoropoulos was killed, and fears have been voiced that the current vehement anti-establishment climate may lead to a resurgence in domestic terrorism.