Three firebomb attacks targeted candidates from Greece’s centre-right ruling party in the northern city of Thessaloniki early Wednesday, police said. The incidents occurred between 4 a.m. and 5 a.m., when crude incendiary devices constructed from camping gas canisters were thrown at the homes of New Democracy parliamentary candidates.

One attack hit the car of a female New Democracy candidate, causing severe burns to her and sending her mother to intensive care. Additionally, three residents of the candidate’s apartment building were hospitalized after suffering smoke inhalation. The other two attacks, directed at the residences of other ruling party candidates, caused no injuries.

Authorities have linked similar attacks in the past to left-wing militant groups, who have targeted homes of prominent political figures. In a related incident in June 2024, a police officer protecting a senior judge’s residence in Athens was wounded in a petrol bomb assault.

Police continue to investigate the motive and perpetrators behind the latest attacks amid heightened political tensions ahead of upcoming elections. The ruling party condemned the violence and called for increased security measures to protect candidates and public officials.