Parcel bomb addressed to Sarkozy found in Greece

LONDON - Greek police have detected explosive packages addressed to French President Nicolas Sarkozy and three foreign embassies in Athens, a media report said.

The France-bound booby-trapped device was found in the hands of two far-Left Greek militants after another parcel detonated at a courier company in the capital, the Sky News reported.

Other explosive packages were addressed to the embassies of Belgium, the Netherlands and Mexico in Athens, police said.

“The incident seems rather ridiculous and in Sarkozy’s case it’s quite evident that this parcel would never have reached its destination,” police spokesman Thanassis Kokalakis was quoted as saying.

A female employee at the courier company was left with slight burns to her hand when the parcel intended for the Mexican embassy caught light.

“There was no explosion but we saw smoke coming out and heard a woman shouting,” a neighbour told state television channel NET.

Police have arrested four people, including two men aged 22 and 24, who were found with the booby-trapped parcels destined for France.

Police said both the men were carrying handguns and one of them was wearing a wig and baseball cap and a bulletproof vest. Of the four arrested, one man is a suspected member of obscure group Conspiracy of Fire Nuclei, that specialises in arson attacks on offices and homes of politicians.