<p>"All the evidence so far clearly shows that these incidents have nothing to do with any kind of organised international terrorism," Foreign Minister Dimitris Droutsas told reporters in Athens yesterday.<br /><br />Thirteen parcel bombs have so far been accounted for, including one that reached the German chancellery in Berlin and another found on board a courier plane to Paris after it was diverted to Bologna.<br /><br />These were respectively addressed to German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. A third parcel intended for French President Nicolas Sarkozy was found Monday. The two men carrying it were arrested, and one was subsequently found to be wanted as a suspected member of a Greek far-left group.<br /><br />The outfit, Conspiracy of Fire Nuclei, was hitherto known for arson and bomb attacks on government buildings and the offices and homes of Greek politicians. Authorities bolstered security arrangements at Athens embassies in the wake of the attacks and halted all foreign mail and parcel deliveries for two days to enable a thorough re-examination of pending dispatches.<br /><br />One package sent to the Mexican embassy exploded inside a courier company on Monday, burning an employee's hand. After the alert was raised, police found two more packages intended for the Dutch and Belgian embassies. But on Tuesday, five other parcels surfaced.<br /><br />One was destroyed by controlled explosion inside the Bulgarian embassy, but two more burst into flames at the Swiss and Russian embassies when handled by staff. Nobody was injured.<br /><br />Two more parcels mailed to the German and Chilean embassies were also intercepted and destroyed by police, who have appealed for information leading to the capture of five men, aged between 21 and 30. Police said yesterday that at least three people and possibly four were involved in mailing the bombs.</p>
<p>"All the evidence so far clearly shows that these incidents have nothing to do with any kind of organised international terrorism," Foreign Minister Dimitris Droutsas told reporters in Athens yesterday.<br /><br />Thirteen parcel bombs have so far been accounted for, including one that reached the German chancellery in Berlin and another found on board a courier plane to Paris after it was diverted to Bologna.<br /><br />These were respectively addressed to German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. A third parcel intended for French President Nicolas Sarkozy was found Monday. The two men carrying it were arrested, and one was subsequently found to be wanted as a suspected member of a Greek far-left group.<br /><br />The outfit, Conspiracy of Fire Nuclei, was hitherto known for arson and bomb attacks on government buildings and the offices and homes of Greek politicians. Authorities bolstered security arrangements at Athens embassies in the wake of the attacks and halted all foreign mail and parcel deliveries for two days to enable a thorough re-examination of pending dispatches.<br /><br />One package sent to the Mexican embassy exploded inside a courier company on Monday, burning an employee's hand. After the alert was raised, police found two more packages intended for the Dutch and Belgian embassies. But on Tuesday, five other parcels surfaced.<br /><br />One was destroyed by controlled explosion inside the Bulgarian embassy, but two more burst into flames at the Swiss and Russian embassies when handled by staff. Nobody was injured.<br /><br />Two more parcels mailed to the German and Chilean embassies were also intercepted and destroyed by police, who have appealed for information leading to the capture of five men, aged between 21 and 30. Police said yesterday that at least three people and possibly four were involved in mailing the bombs.</p>