Greece Gunmen Fire at German Envoy's Home

A hail of gunfire hit the residence of the German ambassador in Greece early this morning, but no one was hurt, police say. Six people have been detained for questioning and released, the AP reports; no one has claimed responsibility for the attack, the New York Times notes. Some 60 bullet casings from assault rifles were found at the scene in an Athens suburb. "Nothing, but really nothing, can justify such an attack on a representative of our country," said the German foreign minister. Greece also expressed "its abhorrence and utter condemnation of today’s cowardly act of terrorism."

The attack occurred as Greeks grapple with an austerity plan—organized in large part by Germany—that has fueled anger, with unemployment soaring. The gunfire also comes as Greece prepares to take the rotating European Union presidency for the next six months. Greece says the attack's "sole and obvious target ... was Greece’s image abroad just a few days before the start of the Hellenic Presidency of the Council of the EU." The gunfire, says Germany's ambassador, Wolfgang Dold, "will not affect the close and friendly relations between our two countries, and it will not reverse the country's economic recovery." (More Germany stories.)