Greece Condemns St. Petersburg Subway Blast

Greece condemned the blast that took place on the St. Petersburg metro on Monday afternoon.

Fourteen people were killed and 45 hospitalized following a blast on the St. Petersburg metro when a train was traveling in a tunnel from Sennaya Ploshchad to Tekhnologichesky Institut stations in the city center.

“Shocked at today’s deadly explosions in the St. Petersburg metro, Greece stands by the people of Russia and their government, expresses its deep condolences to the families of the victims and wishes the injured a speedy recovery,” an announcement by Greece’s foreign ministry said.

“The Greek Consulate General in St. Petersburg is monitoring developments closely, in cooperation with the competent Russian authorities.”

A second device was found and defused at another station, Russia’s Anti-Terrorism Committee said.

All metro stations in the city were closed after the blast and security measures stepped up at St. Petersburg’s airport Pulkovo.

Following the blast, Russian President Vladimir Putin said all causes were being investigated, including terrorism. Putin was in St. Petersburg for the day.

Russia’s Investigative Committee said that the blast was a terror attack, Russian News Agency TASS reported. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

According to the Interfax news agency, Russian police initially believed a suicide bomber planted the device that exploded on a train, but investigators later said it appeared to be the work of one man.