Newsroom
Greek police have arrested a 36-year-old man linked to Saturday’s deadly bomb blast outside a bank in Thessaloniki, and it turns out he was staying in an Airbnb.
The man was caught in Piraeus after police raided a number of properties where they believed he was hiding. Authorities say he had rented the short-term apartment for about a week, and that same flat had also been used by the 38-year-old woman who died while trying to plant the bomb.
When officers searched the Airbnb, they found explosives, including TNT, detonators, and other bomb-making materials. Investigators believe the woman picked up the device from the flat and later used it in the attempted bombing.
They’re now trying to figure out whether the blast was meant to break into an ATM or was some kind of political message, the kind linked to so-called "urban guerrilla" groups.
The explosion happened early Saturday morning, around 5:30 a.m., right next to a National Bank branch in the heart of Thessaloniki. Security cameras captured the woman clearly placing the bomb on a windowsill and lighting the fuse. She then walked away but bizarrely returned just moments later, and that’s when the bomb went off, killing her instantly.
This incident has raised fresh concerns about how short-term rentals like Airbnb are being used and whether they’re being properly monitored.
