Golden Dawn Greece Shootings `Could Be Act of Revenge by Far Left Group'; Victims Identified; May Spur More Violence

Golden Dawn shootings have authorities in Greece worried about reprisals. The victims were named as Emmanuel Kapelonis and Giorgos Fountoulis

The shooting outside of the branch of ultra-right wing Golden Dawn party in in Athens, Greece, 'could be act of revenge by far left group', according to police. They think leftist extremists were behind the drive-by shooting that killed two members of Golden Dawn and are afraid of warfare between opposing radical groups in Greece.

Greek counter-terrorism squad took the Golden Dawn shooting investigation in a northern suburb of Athens. The police are looking at all possibilities  but "particularly those that link these events to extremist groups" that committed recent attacks on politicians, police, banks and the media.

Police say the Golden Dawn shooting appears to be a "terrorist attack".

The shooting happened during a government crackdown on the Golden Dawn. On Sept. 17 an anti-fascist musician was stabbed to death in Athens. The police arrested a Golden Dawn supporter and charged him charged with the killing. The Golden Dawn party leader and two of its legislators are in jail awaiting trial on charges of forming a criminal group. Golden Dawn has denied any wrongdoing. The Leader of Golden Dawn is still in custody.

Greece is home to far-left and anarchist extremist groups which have claimed a series of shootings and bombings that killed two policemen and a journalist.

In 2009 a police officer was killed by three shooters in Athens. In 2010 ivestigative journalist Sokratis Giolas was shot dead at his home. Sect of Revolutionaries, a radical leftist organization, claimed responsibility.

The Sect of Revolutionaries warned the Greek government they would turn Greece into "a war zone of revolutionary processes, with arson, sabotage, fierce demonstrations, bomb attacks, armed killings. We are at war with your democracy."

The media reported that the weapon used in the Golden Dawn shooting was the type of gun used in the 2009 police shooting, but police said it had not been used in other terrorist incidents. They said the gun was a Zastava Tokarev semi-auto pistol.

The Conspiracy of Fire Nuclei claimed responsibility for a car bomb that went off outside an Athens prison director's house in June.

Golden Dawn rose to national prominence during the crippling financial crisis in Greece. In last year's elections, the party won 18 of the Greek Parliament's 300 seats. Golden Dawn polls Greece's third most popular political party. 60 percent of young Greeks are unemployed.

Nikos Dendias, Greece's public order minister said, "We will not allow our country to become a place to settle scores."

Golden Dawn posted a statement on their website blaming the shooting on terrorists. The statement said "The criminals wanted to execute anybody outside the party offices. Before they drove off, the terrorists shot again at the boys lying on the ground. They literally emptied their weapons on them."

Nikos Dendias, Greece's Public Order Minister, said he was distressed by the shooting. "We will not allow the country to become a ground for the settling of accounts, for whatever reason." He said the violence started right after police pulled protection from the Golden Dawn Office.