Athens - A businessman was seriously injured in a car bomb blast in Athens Friday. The man, whose identity was not immediately known, was rushed to hospital.

The blast happened in the southern coastal suburb of Voula when the man turned on the ignition, causing the car to be engulfed in flames.

The blast came a few weeks after police defused a car bomb outside Citibank's headquarters in Athens, and follows a spate of gun and arson attacks across the city by suspected militant groups against police since the police shooting of a 15-year-old boy in December.

The shooting of the teenager triggered Greece's worst riots in decades. (dpa)