Greek ex-prime minister hurt as letter bomb explodes in car

ATHENS, Greece -- Former Greek prime minister Lucas Papademos was injured after a letter bomb exploded inside his car Thursday in central Athens in an attack that also left two Bank of Greece employees wounded.

Authorities said all three were conscious and hospitalized in stable condition.

"I unequivocally condemn the attack against Lucas Papademos," Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, who was attending a NATO summit in Brussels, tweeted from his official account. "I wish a speedy recovery to him and the people who accompanied him."

Police were on alert to determine whether any other parcel bombs might have been sent out and were checking postal and courier services.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but Greek politicians have been targeted in the past by militant far-left and anarchist groups.

A statement from the Greek Health Ministry said Papademos, 69, was being treated for wounds in his right thigh and upper body. He served as prime minister for six months in 2011 and 2012 and is a former deputy governor of the European Central Bank.

"We are saddened by the attack against our former colleague, Lucas Papademos, a brave public servant of Greece and Europe," European Central Bank President Mario Draghi said in a statement.

A police official said the explosion occurred when Papademos opened an envelope inside the car. Anti-terrorism police were at the hospital where Papademos was being treated to interview him on the details of the envelope.

A second police official said one of the other two wounded in the blast told anti-terrorism police he had handed Papademos the mail earlier, and before doing so, he had put it through an X-ray machine, and nothing suspicious showed up.

Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity pending official announcements.

The government described the blast as a terrorist attack.

"It is obvious and self-evident that the Greek government unreservedly and categorically condemns the attack against the former prime minister, Mr. Papademos," said government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos.

Earlier this year, a group called Conspiracy Cells of Fire claimed responsibility for sending parcel bombs to the German Finance Ministry and the Paris office of the International Monetary Fund, where a small explosion injured one person.