10 January 2017•Update: 10 January 2017
By Idyli Tsakiri
ATHENS
A Greek policeman was hurt in an early-morning gun attack on the Athens offices of a political party.
Greek police told Anadolu Agency at least one assailant opened fire on a police bus guarding the PanHellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) office in downtown Athens a little after 6 a.m. local time (0400GMT) on Tuesday.
A 34-year-old police officer was injured in the abdomen and the thigh. It remains unclear if the injuries were inflicted directly by the gunshots or by a ricochet.
The wounded officer is being treated at a military hospital in Athens.
In a statement, PASOK leader Fofi Gennimata described the incident as a “murderous terrorist attack”.
“The situation is directed primarily against the safety of local residents,” Gennimata wrote.
“The killers acted and left undisturbed, taking advantage of the inaccessible area of Exarcheia,” she added.
Exarcheia -- the neighborhood where the PASOK office is located -- is known as the anarchist area of the Greek capital.
The attacker -- or attackers -- used a military-grade weapon, possibly an automatic firearm. According to police, three cartridges were collected and sent to a laboratory for further examination. An anti-terror unit is investigating the shooting.
The PASOK office has been regularly attacked, mostly by anarchists using Molotov cocktails and rocks. However, gun attacks are uncommon.
PASOK, a center-left party, is represented in both the Greek parliament and the European Parliament.
No organization has yet claimed responsibility for Tuesday's attack.
