Woman carrying bomb dies after explosion in Greece

A woman has died in Greece after a bomb exploded in her hands, police say.

They say she was standing outside a bank in the northern city of Thessaloniki when the device went off early on Saturday. Officers suspect she may have been planning to plant it next to a cash machine.

The unnamed 38-year-old had previously been jailed for bank robbery, a police spokeswoman told Greece's Skai TV.

Some reports say the woman might have been linked to a left-wing figure currently in prison for attacks and armed robberies.

Saturday's blast occurred outside a bank branch in a residential area of central Thessaloniki, Greece's second-largest city. Video footage shows damage to nearby buildings and cars.

The woman was taken to hospital with severe hand injuries but later died.

Criminal gangs have in the past been blamed for bombings and killings in Greece.

The country also has a history of violence by anarchist groups going back to the 1970s.