Police hunt for suspect after three wounded in Monaco blast
✓Ukrainian oligarch reported to be among injured in explosion at residential building in the Mediterranean principality.
Police in Monaco and neighbouring France are hunting for a man suspected of detonating a makeshift bomb in the centre of the wealthy Mediterranean principality, which seriously injured several people, officials said.
Three people, including a teenager, were hurt in the explosion that struck at about 9pm local time (19:00 GMT) on Monday in a residential building in Monaco, according to authorities in the micro-state on the French Riviera, known as a haven for billionaires and their luxury yachts.
According to the AFP news agency, Ukrainian oligarch Vadym Yermolaiev was one of those wounded.
Monaco’s Minister of State Christophe Mirmand initially told AFP that the blast appeared to be “an attack”, but later dropped the term, describing it as a “deliberate explosion”.
A couple in their 50s or 60s suffered life-threatening conditions, while a 13-year-old who was “very likely related to the couple” suffered less serious injuries, Mirmand said, without disclosing their identities.
The explosive device apparently contained bolts and buckshot, Mirmand said.
“This is the first time in history, to my knowledge, that such an act has taken place in the principality,” he said.
A source close to the investigation who asked not to be named told AFP that one of those wounded was Yermolaiev.
Yermolaiev, a multimillionaire Monaco resident, has been subject to sanctions from Kyiv since December 2023, which Ukrainian security services reportedly said stemmed from his alcohol business activity in Russian-occupied Crimea.
Monaco’s public prosecutor, Stephane Thibault, said a suspect had left a bag or package in the building’s lobby before leaving.
French newspaper Le Figaro said video surveillance images showed a man dropping a backpack at the entrance of a residential building shortly before the explosion.
Monaco’s Prince Albert II described the incident as a “heinous crime” and “a shock to the entire Monegasque community”.
An aide to French Minister of the Interior Laurent Nunez said police were working “to find the perpetrator, who has fled”.
An AFP photographer at the scene saw a heavy police presence with access to the area cordoned off, while a helicopter circled overhead.
Read the full story at Al Jazeera ↗ · The Guardian ↗
An explosion occurred Monday at approximately 9pm local time in a residential building in Monaco's centre. Three people were injured: a couple in their 50s or 60s with life-threatening conditions, a 13-year-old with less serious injuries, and Ukrainian oligarch Vadym Yermolaiev. Authorities described it as a deliberate explosion. Investigators say a suspect deposited a bag or package in the building's lobby before the blast and subsequently fled. Video surveillance reportedly captured this action. The device contained bolts and buckshot. Monaco and French police are conducting a manhunt. Prince Albert II characterised the incident as a crime unprecedented in Monaco's modern history.
Read the full story at Al Jazeera ↗ · The Guardian ↗
Ukrainian oligarch reported to be among injured in explosion at residential building in the Mediterranean principality.
Police in Monaco and neighbouring France are hunting for a man suspected of detonating a makeshift bomb in the centre of the wealthy Mediterranean principality, which seriously injured several people, officials said.
Three people, including a teenager, were hurt in the explosion that struck at about 9pm local time (19:00 GMT) on Monday in a residential building in Monaco, according to authorities in the micro-state on the French Riviera, known as a haven for billionaires and their luxury yachts.
According to the AFP news agency, Ukrainian oligarch Vadym Yermolaiev was one of those wounded.
Monaco’s Minister of State Christophe Mirmand initially told AFP that the blast appeared to be “an attack”, but later dropped the term, describing it as a “deliberate explosion”.
A couple in their 50s or 60s suffered life-threatening conditions, while a 13-year-old who was “very likely related to the couple” suffered less serious injuries, Mirmand said, without disclosing their identities.
The explosive device apparently contained bolts and buckshot, Mirmand said.
“This is the first time in history, to my knowledge, that such an act has taken place in the principality,” he said.
A source close to the investigation who asked not to be named told AFP that one of those wounded was Yermolaiev.
Yermolaiev, a multimillionaire Monaco resident, has been subject to sanctions from Kyiv since December 2023, which Ukrainian security services reportedly said stemmed from his alcohol business activity in Russian-occupied Crimea.
Monaco’s public prosecutor, Stephane Thibault, said a suspect had left a bag or package in the building’s lobby before leaving.
French newspaper Le Figaro said video surveillance images showed a man dropping a backpack at the entrance of a residential building shortly before the explosion.
Monaco’s Prince Albert II described the incident as a “heinous crime” and “a shock to the entire Monegasque community”.
An aide to French Minister of the Interior Laurent Nunez said police were working “to find the perpetrator, who has fled”.
An AFP photographer at the scene saw a heavy police presence with access to the area cordoned off, while a helicopter circled overhead.
Read the full story at Al Jazeera ↗ · The Guardian ↗
An explosion occurred Monday evening at approximately 9pm local time in a residential building in Monaco Three people were injured: a couple in their 50s or 60s, a 13-year-old, and Ukrainian oligarch Vadym Yermolaiev The couple experienced life-threatening injuries; the teenager suffered less serious injuries A suspect left a bag or package in the building's lobby before departing Video surveillance images show a man dropping a backpack at the building entrance before the explosion The device contained bolts and buckshot Authorities described the explosion as deliberate This represents the first incident of its kind in Monaco's recorded history Yermolaiev has been subject to sanctions from Kyiv since December 2023 related to business activities in Russian-occupied Crimea
Read the full story at Al Jazeera ↗ · The Guardian ↗
- A deliberate explosion in a residential building in central Monaco on Monday evening wounded three people, including a teenager and Ukrainian oligarch Vadym Yermolaiev
- Police in Monaco and France are hunting a suspect who allegedly left a bag or package in the building's lobby before fleeing
- The device contained bolts and buckshot; Monaco's authorities called it unprecedented in the principality's history