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Blast rocks US embassy in Athens Blast rocks US embassy in Athens
(about 1 hour later)
An explosion has hit the US embassy compound in the centre of the Greek capital, Athens.An explosion has hit the US embassy compound in the centre of the Greek capital, Athens.
Police said a small rocket-propelled grenade or similar device was fired into the front of the embassy. Police said a rocket was fired from street level into the front of the embassy, landing in a toilet.
Fire engines and police cordoned off the area around the fortified building. The US State Department said there were no injuries.Fire engines and police cordoned off the area around the fortified building. The US State Department said there were no injuries.
The BBC correspondent in Athens says the US embassy is often the target of small-scale attacks by radical groups. The BBC correspondent in Athens says the attack is more likely the work of a left-wing radical group than al-Qaeda.
Many of the attacks are carried out by small groups following in the footsteps of the disbanded November 17 leftist group, says the BBC's Malcolm Brabant.
'Windows shattered''Windows shattered'
Emergency services rushed to the embassy, which is on one of Athens' main boulevards, after reports of an explosion shortly before 0600 (0400 GMT).Emergency services rushed to the embassy, which is on one of Athens' main boulevards, after reports of an explosion shortly before 0600 (0400 GMT).
What appeared to be a rocket propelled grenade was fired at the front of the building, just above the US emblem. What appeared to be a rocket was fired at the US eagle emblem at the front of the building.
According to eyewitnesses, it penetrated the building and caused a small fire. According to eyewitnesses, it penetrated the building and landed in a toilet, where it caused a small fire.
Television pictures showed a mass of emergency vehicles and stationary traffic outside the embassy as the area was sealed off.Television pictures showed a mass of emergency vehicles and stationary traffic outside the embassy as the area was sealed off.
Greek police said a shell was fired from street level through the front of the building and landed in a toilet.
"This is an act of terrorism. We don't know where from," Attica Police Chief Asimakis Golfis told the Associated Press."This is an act of terrorism. We don't know where from," Attica Police Chief Asimakis Golfis told the Associated Press.
The blast was powerful enough to break windows in nearby buildings, reports said.The blast was powerful enough to break windows in nearby buildings, reports said.
"This is a very serious attack", US Ambassador Charles Ries told journalists. He said an investigation was under way, and the embassy would reopen as soon as possible.
The US embassy is one of the most fortified and tightly guarded buildings in the region and is frequently the target of protests in a country brimming with potent anti-Americanism, the BBC's Malcolm Brabant says.
In February 1996, it suffered minor damage when unknown attackers - thought to be leftist radicals - fired a rocket at it.
In the past, the far-left November 17 group - whose leaders were jailed in 2003 - has attacked Greek, US and other foreign targets, killing more than 20 people.