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Makeshift bomb damages insurance building in Athens


    ATHENS (Reuters) - A makeshift bomb went off late on Sunday outside the offices of National Insurance company in central Athens causing damage to the building and nearby cars but no injuries, police said.

    "There was a warning phone call to a newspaper about 15 minutes before the explosion but no claim of responsibility," a police official said.

    Police said the explosive device was placed near the entrance of the insurance company's building, located near the Ledra Marriott hotel. The company is a subsidiary of National Bank, the country's biggest lender.

    The incident is the latest in a series of gas canister and bomb attacks by leftist and anarchist groups that have rocked Greece since the police shooting of a teenager sparked the country's worst riots in decades in December 2008.

    (Reporting by George Georgiopoulos)