ATHENS – Mareva Grabowski Mitsotakis, co-founder and Managing Partner at clothing line Zeus+Dione, accused on Monday the government and a journalist of masterminding a smear campaign against her to harm her spouse, main opposition New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis, in a statement to the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA) on Monday.

The statement came after three gas canisters exploded outside her store in central Athens early on Monday morning, causing minor damages.

“From the day my spouse, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, was elected as leader of New Democracy, a systematic operation to destroy me has been unfolding at all levels. They want to hurt my husband so they attack me. The brains of this operation are located in the basements of Maximos Mansion [PM’s office]. Their implementing agents, led by [journalist] Kostas Vaxevanis, make up stories and unleash slanders and lies,” Grabowski said.

“They even justify terrorist actions. Everyone knows what this deep state wants to achieve against me, but it will not succeed. Neither I nor my husband will give in to fear. As much as they may misrepresent the truth, or sling mud, they will not break me. I will continue my work and my life, without flinching in the face of thuggery and terrorism. Our strength is in our resilience. They are cowards and will be defeated,” she added.

Unknown individuals placed a makeshift explosive device outside the store of New Democracy (ND) leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ wife, Mareva Grabowski, in central Athens. The device made of three gas cannisters exploded at 02:40 on Monday causing minor damages to the store.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis in a post on his twitter account said “Attack to my wife’s offices. That’s where leads the ruthless targeting from Maximos mansion and their mouthpieces with only aim to target me. We are not afraid of them and are not getting away with this.

Επίθεση σήμερα το πρωί με γκαζάκια στο γραφείο της συζύγου μου. Εκεί οδηγεί η ανελέητη στοχοποίησή της από τα υπόγεια του Μαξίμου και τα φερέφωνά τους που έχουν βέβαια στόχο να πλήξουν έμενα. Δεν τους φοβόμαστε και δεν θα τους περάσει.

— Kyriakos Mitsotakis (@kmitsotakis) February 12, 2018

On its part, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’ press office stated: “We unequivocally condemn the attack against Ms Mareva Grabowski Mitsotakis’ business”.

Α later statement read: “Apart from the fantasies of the Mitsotakis couple, we inform them that in the basements of the Maximos Mansion there are no longer an office of their partner, Mr. [Stavros] Papastavrou, nor do any Samsonite wheeled suitcases enter before ending up in some tax haven. The basement tenants.”

Police are conducting an investigation.