Late on Friday 11 April 2025, at 8:53 pm local time, an anonymous phone call was made to the newsroom of the Greek newspaper Efimerida ton syntakton and to the news website Zougla, warning that a bomb would explode in front of Hellenic Train’s headquarters on Syngrou Avenue in Athens within the next 35 to 40 minutes. The warning allowed the police to evacuate the area and stop traffic, but not to defuse the device, which was hidden in a rucksack placed on a motorcycle chained to a post. The explosion occurred at 9:30 pm, causing no casualties and only limited damage.
Police later stated that the attack was primarily symbolic. On Sunday 13 April, responsibility for the bombing was claimed by the organisation Revolutionary Class Self-Defence, through a lengthy statement published on an anarchist-leaning website. The document referred to the serious railway accident in Tempi, where a Hellenic Train passenger service – operated by the Trenitalia-controlled company – collided with a freight train on 28 February 2023, killing 57 people and injuring 85.
The incident sparked widespread public outrage in Greece, as investigations revealed that the automatic signalling system on the line, financed by European Union funds, had not been activated. Had it been operational, the accident might have been avoided. Furthermore, after the collision, a fire broke out which, according to an independent report commissioned by the relatives of some of the victims, was fuelled by undeclared flammable materials on the freight train – a claim denied by the railway company and the fire brigade. Forty people have been placed under investigation by the judiciary and the trial is expected to take place by the end of 2025.
On 28 February 2025, marking the second anniversary of the railway disaster, a large demonstration took place in Athens to commemorate the 57 victims of the tragedy and to demand justice and accountability. Around 400,000 people took part in the protest, gathering mainly in Syntagma Square, the political heart of the Greek capital. Protesters condemned the role of privatisation policies in the management of railway infrastructure and assigned responsibility to Hellenic Train and to Greek institutions.
