Greek police on Saturday detonated an explosive device placed near a police station in the Athens district of Daphne, AMNA news agency reported.

The operation was prompted by a phone call to the police by an unidentified person, who warned that a bomb would go off in 40 minutes, according to a police statement.

No group has stepped up to claim responsibility so far, but the anti-terror police unit has decided to launch a probe into the case, since home-grown terrorist groups in the country usually plant devices and make warning calls.

Greece has suffered from home-grown terrorism for decades.

Police officers in early January traced and arrested one of the country's most wanted terrorists, Paula Roupa, in Daphne.

Roupa, a convicted terrorist from the extremist group Revolutionary Struggle, had been on the run for four years.

Source: Xinhua