Cells of Fire group claims precinct bomb

The Conspiracy of the Cells of Fire, an urban guerrilla group that has seen a number of its members jailed, claimed responsibility on Friday for sending a parcel bomb containing half a kilo of explosives to a police station in Itea, central Greece.

In a statement that was sent to two media outlets, the group said it chose the particular police precinct as Albanian inmate Ilie Kareli had allegedly been beaten there before being transferred to Nigrita prison in northern Greece, where further torture at the hands of guards led to his death. Kareli had earlier murdered a guard at Malandrino jail.

The explosive device had been hidden inside a book and contained nails and screw. It was sent in a package purporting to be from a non-governnmental organization

In its message on Friday, the group said that it was disappointed the bomb did not go off. “Our aim is to be effective and not settle just for symbolic acts,” it said. “From now on a lot of things will change. We will be back.”