The weekly newspaper Pontiki said Wednesday that the Greek militant group "Revolutionary Struggle" had sent a message claiming responsibility for bombing the Athens stock exchange.

Greek police officials say they believe the claim is genuine.

The small, left-wing militant group has claimed responsibility for more than a dozen attacks since 2003, including the firing of a rocket-propelled grenade into the US Embassy in Athens in 2007.

Both the European Union and the US State Department consider the group to be a terrorist organization.

Ongoing terrorism

The Sept. 2 blast, which injured a woman and seriously damaged the building, was the latest in a series of attacks on business and police targets that have occurred across Greece since the end of last year.

Although domestic terrorism has plagued Greece for decades, most major groups were broken up before the 2004 summer Olympics in Athens.

However, new groups have formed in recent years and attacks have increased this year following major riots in December over the police shooting of a teenage boy.

sh/AP/Reuters
Editor: Nancy Isenson