LEAD FOCUS

It's become almost a nightly occurrence. A firebomb hits, destroying a car or sending flames racing through an office. Since January, more than 150 cars and offices have been burned. They belonged to officials, politicians, Jewish and anti-Semitic groups, diplomats, journalists and foreigners -- targeted by shadowy groups little-known to authorities.

The Greek government is straining to keep a calm front -- especially with summer tourist season in full swing. There are fears the lack of a decisive police response and an unstable social climate could cause the attacks to escalate.

Government spokesman Dimitris Reppas said, "Without underplaying the fact that such incidents harbor dangers for public safety, they should not be used to create a climate of paranoia."

Reppas added he was "saddened" because the firebombings were giving "Greek society a feeling of insecurity." Reppas should know. His private office was gutted on by makeshift incendiary bombs.

Even the office of the Greek Transport Minister Tassos Mandelis has been hit. A makeshift bomb constructed of three propane gas canisters soaked in gasoline slightly damaged his office. The attack had the hallmarks of the Conscientious Arsonists, a mysterious group that has claimed responsibility for attacking Reppas' office and those of two other senior government officials. They have claimed more than ten fire- bombings this year.

The firebomb spree has introduced other previously unknown groups to authorities: the Anarchist Street Patrol, the Children of November, the New Group of Satanists. Police have made no arrests so far, although a special task force made up of about 1,000 undercover special forces was set up in January.

Maria Bossi, former head of a special committee formed to fight Greek terrorism, warned, "It is a new phenomenon and it will go on for a long time. It's a very dangerous phenomenon."

Greece is already home to November 17, one of the world's deadliest militant groups, with unsolved 22 killings to its credit, since its 1975 assassination of the CIA station chief in Athens. November 17 has added its own sophisticated bombs and missiles to this year's rash of night attacks, blowing up three American car dealerships, two McDonald's and a Citibank branch.

Bossi said of the Conscientious Arsonists and other groups: "It started as a social phenomena, youth feeling they had to be heard. When you have unemployment, social problems, a youth with no vision, then it will get worse."

At first, most attacks fit no visible pattern, but in recently they have been going after specific, protected targets. Bossi said, "It started as a social phenomenon. This is terrorism."