New Extremist Group Claims Responsibility for Bombing Near Greek Railway Offices

The logo of Hellenic Train, Greece's main railway company, is seen outside company's headquarters, following a bomb explosion Friday night causing causing limited damage but no injuries, in Athens, Greece, on Saturday, April 12, 2025

An explosion near the offices of Hellenic Train, Greece’s primary railway services operator, has been claimed by a newly emerged extremist group. The blast occurred on Friday evening and caused limited damage without resulting in injuries. A warning was issued approximately 40 minutes before the explosion through phone calls made to two organizations.

The group, identifying itself as Revolutionary Class Struggle, issued a lengthy statement on Sunday, explaining the motive behind the bombing and a separate attempted bombing near the Labor Ministry in early February. They described their actions as part of an armed struggle against the state.

The group dedicated the bombings to “the Palestinian people and their heroic resistance,” and paid tribute to Kyriakos Xymitiris, who died in 2023 when an explosive device he was assembling detonated in an apartment in central Athens.

The timing of the attack coincides with renewed public outrage over a 2023 train disaster in Greece, the country’s deadliest rail accident. That incident claimed 57 lives and left dozens injured after a passenger train and freight train were mistakenly placed on the same track. The accident revealed critical flaws in Greece’s railway infrastructure and safety protocols, sparking mass protests, particularly from victims' families, during the second anniversary of the disaster.

A municipal worker cleans the area outside Hellenic Train headquarters, Greece's main railway company, following a bomb explosion Friday night causing limited damage but no injuries, in Athens, Greece, on Saturday, April 12, 2025

In its statement, Revolutionary Class Struggle drew a connection between the fatal train crash and what it referred to as the “murders” of workers through systemic workplace accidents, attributing blame to capitalist structures. The group criticized the official response to the 2023 accident, accusing authorities of minimizing the incident as human error and using it to justify further privatization and the erosion of public infrastructure.

Hellenic Train, formerly a subsidiary of the state-owned Hellenic Railways, was privatized in 2017 and sold to Italy’s Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane. While Hellenic Train manages passenger and cargo services, Hellenic Railways remains responsible for maintaining the railway infrastructure and stations.

Greece has a history of domestic extremist activity, particularly since the 1970s. While earlier groups were largely dismantled by the early 2000s, new organizations have emerged in recent years, often engaging in small-scale bombings. These acts typically result in property damage but rarely cause casualties.

Police are actively investigating the recent incidents and are pursuing several leads, including surveillance footage showing one or two individuals and potential cellphone communications linked to the attack.