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Blast rocks US embassy in Athens Rocket hits US embassy in Athens
(about 1 hour later)
An explosion has hit the US embassy compound in the centre of the Greek capital, Athens. Attackers have fired a rocket at the US embassy compound in the centre of the Greek capital, Athens.
Police said a rocket was fired from street level into the front of the embassy, landing in a toilet. The rocket, fired from street level into the front of the embassy, caused minor damage to the building but no-one was injured.
Fire engines and police cordoned off the area around the fortified building. The US State Department said there were no injuries. The US envoy condemned the "very serious attack", as fire engines and police cordoned off the area.
The BBC correspondent in Athens says the attack is more likely the work of a left-wing radical group than al-Qaeda. Police say they are investigating claims that a left-wing radical group was behind the attack.
An anonymous phone call to the authorities said a group calling itself Revolutionary Struggle was responsible.
Revolutionary Struggle has carried out several bomb attacks in Athens since the demise of November 17, a left-wing group which terrorised Greece for 25 years before being dismantled in time for the 2004 Athens Olympics, the BBC's Malcolm Brabant reports from Athens.
'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). The blast was reported in the early morning at the embassy, which is on one of Athens' main boulevards.
What appeared to be a rocket was fired at the US eagle emblem at the front of the building. Police said a rocket was fired at the US eagle emblem at the front of the building.
According to eyewitnesses, it penetrated the building and landed in a toilet, where it caused a small fire. "A self-propelled explosive was fired at 5:58 am (0358 GMT) from the surrounding area, causing minor damage to the front windows and the roof," a statement from the Greek public order ministry said.
The rocket landed in a toilet on the third floor of the building, which also houses Ambassador Charles Ries's office.
"I am treating this as a very serious attack," he said. "The embassy was attacked in a senseless act of violence."
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.
"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," Attica Police Chief Asimakis Golfis told the Associated Press news agency.
The blast was powerful enough to break windows in nearby buildings, reports said. 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, our correspondent says.
"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 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. In the past, the far-left November 17 group - now disbanded and whose leaders were jailed in 2003 - attacked Greek, US and other foreign targets, killing more than 20 people.