ATHENS, Greece (AP) -- A series of arson attacks was the work of vandals, not terrorists, despite a claim of responsibility from a group that condemned the upcoming Olympics and the jailing of radical protesters, the government said Wednesday.
The government said cooking gas canisters were used to set fire to two political party offices and the homes of a conservative politician and a professor on Tuesday morning. No one was injured.
The people who carried out the attacks were ``a few brainless fools who think they can make their presence felt this way,'' said government spokesman Christos Protopapas. ``There is a difference between fighting terrorism and this ... case with gas canisters.''
In Greece, urban guerrillas have used more sophisticated weapons, including shoulder-fired rockets and explosives, to strike targets.
A previously unknown group calling itself Post-Midnight Slalom said it set the fires Tuesday to protest corporate influence on next summer's Olympics and the arrest in June of seven rioters during the European Union summit in Thessaloniki. The group said it was also protesting the trial of members of the November 17 terrorist group.
``For as long as you're going to be burning forests, we're going to be burning your offices,'' said the statement released to the Athens daily Eleftherotypia. ``For as long as you're going to be burning brains, we're going to be burning your houses.''
Arson attacks are common in Athens, often targeting banks, shops or diplomatic vehicles at night to avoid injuries. But the nature and timing of the strikes prompted concern as the government seeks to portray the city as a safe host for the Aug. 13-29 Olympic games.
One of the propane tanks burned the home of Giorgos Voulgarakis, a conservative lawmaker. He was not home; firefighters rescued his wife and four children. Several cars were also damaged by the fires.
