A man walks past a graffiti depicting a man throwing a petrol bomb
A man walks past graffiti depicting the throwing of a petrol bomb in Athens, Greece GettyImages

Police in Greece have intercepted and neutralised eight parcel bombs found at an Athens postal office addressed to European Union financial institutions and businesses in Athens.

A police source told AFP the packages were intended for officials at the Eurogroup and other global economic organisations.

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Letter bombs were sent last week to the German Finance Ministry and the offices of the International Monetary Fund in Paris. The first package was intercepted by security but the second exploded, injuring a secretary.

Anarchist terror group the far-left Conspiracy Cells of Fire claimed responsibility for the first attack, in which the parcel was addressed to German finance minister Wolfgang Schäuble.

"We sent the parcel bomb to the Minister of Finance of Germany," the group claimed in an internet statement, adding that it was the second act in "Project Nemesis"− which they claim to be an ongoing campaign.

The terrorist group came to prominence in Greece in the wake of the 2008 economic crisis and is accused by police of being behind some 150 crimes since 2009. In 2011 six members of the group were sent to prison, and police claimed the group had been largely dismantled.

Police in Greece are investigating how the terrorists managed to get the packages used in the Athens attack past airport security.