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Greek police have arrested four people after uncovering a plot to send parcel bombs to Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president, and three foreign embassies in Athens.

The parcel addressed to Mr Sarkozy was found in the hands of two suspected far-left militants after a similar package intended for the Mexican embassy in the Greek capital detonated inside a courier company and injured an employee.

Police said one of the four people arrested was a suspected member of an obscure group that specialises in arson attacks on offices and homes of politicians, Conspiracy of Fire Nuclei.

From a postal slip found on the suspects, the police tracked down and exploded a second parcel at a neighbouring courier company, addressed to the Dutch embassy.

Two more devices found on the detainees were intended for the French President and the Belgian embassy, the police said.

The Dutch foreign ministry said it had been informed by the Greek authorities “and remain in close contact with them.”

Conspiracy of Fire Nuclei had also planted a small explosive device in a bin outside the Greek parliament in January, after police claimed to have arrested several of the group’s members in raids around the capital.

Attacks on government and police targets are relatively frequent in Greece and are commonly attributed to left-wing extremists.

By telegraph.co.uk

A police explosive expert prepares a controlled blast near a courier service in the Athens suburb of Pangrati Photo: AP