Greece halts airmail as bomb blitz targets European leaders

A 48-hour ban on all deliveries abroad took effect after mail bombs reached the office of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and halted flights for hours at Italy's Bologna airport, where a package addressed to Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi caught fire.

Greece and Germany said they supported a Europe-wide tightening of package-screening procedures.

The device found in Berlin appeared identical to those in Greece, and seemed to contain a gunpowder-like substance.

Germany will now ask the Belgian European Union presidency to put air-cargo security on the agenda of next week's regular meeting of interior ministers.

The attacks, which followed the unsuccessful Yemen-based ink bomb plot, highlighted the difficulty of keeping devices out of the international delivery system.

Several European governments urged vigilance but did not say they were increasing measures already in place at leaders' offices.

At least 13 bombs sent from Athens on Monday were detected yesterday – one addressed to French President Nicolas Sarkozy and eight to the Athens embassies of Bulgaria, Russia, Germany, Switzerland, Mexico, Chile, the Netherlands and Belgium.

Three of the bombs exploded or caught fire in Athens, causing minor damage.

Police said none contained lethal amounts of explosives – unlike those used by the Yemeni militants.

The Greek government said that the bombs had no link to Islamist groups.

Two suspects arrested on Monday in connection with the bombings have been charged, and the photographs of five other suspects believed to be associated with them circulated. The suspects, most in their early 20s, have been linked to an anarchist militant group called Conspiracy Nuclei of Fire.

Greece has suffered a surge of militant attacks, including a deadly letter bombing earlier this year, since massive riots in 2008 triggered by a police shooting of a teenage boy.

The country was plagued by far-left terrorism in the 1980s and 1990s, with more than 20 people killed in gun and bomb attacks. Although the deadliest of these organisations were eradicated over the past decade, their attacks have inspired several small radical anarchist or nihilist groups violently opposed to capitalism.

They are believed to recruit from anarchists and students who often clash with police in Greece's frequent protests.GREECE halted outgoing airmail and screened thousands of packages yesterday in an attempt to stop a series of bombings targeting diplomats and European leaders.

A 48-hour ban on all deliveries abroad took effect after mail bombs reached the office of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and halted flights for hours at Italy's Bologna airport, where a package addressed to Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi caught fire.

Greece and Germany said they supported a Europe-wide tightening of package-screening procedures.

The device found in Berlin appeared identical to those in Greece, and seemed to contain a gunpowder-like substance.

Germany will now ask the Belgian European Union presidency to put air-cargo security on the agenda of next week's regular meeting of interior ministers.

The attacks, which followed the unsuccessful Yemen-based ink bomb plot, highlighted the difficulty of keeping devices out of the international delivery system.

Several European governments urged vigilance but did not say they were increasing measures already in place at leaders' offices.

At least 13 bombs sent from Athens on Monday were detected yesterday – one addressed to French President Nicolas Sarkozy and eight to the Athens embassies of Bulgaria, Russia, Germany, Switzerland, Mexico, Chile, the Netherlands and Belgium.

Three of the bombs exploded or caught fire in Athens, causing minor damage.

Police said none contained lethal amounts of explosives – unlike those used by the Yemeni militants.

The Greek government said that the bombs had no link to Islamist groups.

Two suspects arrested on Monday in connection with the bombings have been charged, and the photographs of five other suspects believed to be associated with them circulated. The suspects, most in their early 20s, have been linked to an anarchist militant group called Conspiracy Nuclei of Fire.

Greece has suffered a surge of militant attacks, including a deadly letter bombing earlier this year, since massive riots in 2008 triggered by a police shooting of a teenage boy.

The country was plagued by far-left terrorism in the 1980s and 1990s, with more than 20 people killed in gun and bomb attacks. Although the deadliest of these organisations were eradicated over the past decade, their attacks have inspired several small radical anarchist or nihilist groups violently opposed to capitalism.

They are believed to recruit from anarchists and students who often clash with police in Greece's frequent protests.