An explosive device containing five kilos of TNT was discovered and defused on Thursday afternoon by Greek police outside the home of journalist Yannis Pretenteris in the Athens region. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins its Greek affiliates, including the Journalists’ Union of Athens Daily Newspapers (JUADN), in calling for the identification and arrest of the perpetrators of this attempted terrorist attack.

An explosive device consisting of five kilos of ammonium-based TNT and a detonator was discovered and defused on Thursday afternoon by a Greek police munitions disposal unit outside the home of Yannis Pretenteris, editor of the weekly magazine “To Víma”, owned by Alter Ego Media.

According to information published by To Víma, an investigation was opened by the police anti-terrorist brigade. Had the bomb exploded, it would have caused considerable damage, according to experts, due to the quantity of explosives used. The area remained sealed off late this afternoon, while the fire brigade remained at the scene

Yannis Pretenteris is one of Greece’s best-known journalists, columnists and television experts.

“The bomb that was set outside the house of journalist Yannis Pretenteris in Athens is a clear act of terrorism, aimed not only at intimidating one person, but at silencing free journalism as a whole,” said Antonis Repanas, Greek member of the EFJ Steering Committee. “Journalism is not terrorized and is not silenced. In a democratic society, disagreements are expressed through public debate, not explosive devices. We call on the authorities to immediately proceed to clarify the case and for society to stand against any form of violence against free expression.”

This is not the first time that Greek journalists have been the target of violent attacks. 9 April this year marked the fourth anniversary of the killing of Greek crime reporter Giorgos Karaivaz in 2021. The EFJ renewed its call for justice and for ending the ongoing impunity, which continues to cast a dark shadow over the Greek media landscape.