Terrorist motive ruled out in Monaco parcel bomb attack

Monaco authorities are investigating a blast that wounded three people as "attempted murder", and are not considering it as a "terrorist" act, a public prosecutor said.

Stephane Thibault declined to say who was the presumed target of the parcel bomb that went off on last night, with several sources saying it was Ukrainian-born businessman Vadym Yermolaiev.

A couple and a teenager were wounded in the explosion in a residential building on a street along the border with France.

Two of the victims suffered life-threatening injuries, Monaco Minister of State Christophe Mirmand told BFM TV.

Mr Yermolaiev was a major real estate developer in Dnipro. He left Ukraine several years ago, renounced his Ukrainian citizenship and became a citizen of Cyprus. He was placed under Ukrainian sanctions in ‌December 2023

Monaco's Prince Albert II described the incident as a "heinous crime" and "a shock to the entire Monegasque community".

An aide to France's Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said police were working "to find the perpetrator, who has fled".

A couple in their 50s or 60s suffered life-threatening injuries, while a 13-year-old suffered less serious injuries in the explosion, Mr Mirmand said earlier, without disclosing their identities.

He said the teenager was "very likely related" to the pair.

An AFP photographer at the scene saw a heavy police presence with access to the area cordoned off, while a helicopter circled overhead.

Around 50 firefighters and 80 security personnel were deployed at the scene.

Bolts and buckshot

Mr Thibault said a suspect had left a bag or package in the building's lobby before leaving.

The Monaco government said the "strong explosion" was caused by a "parcel bomb".

"A suspect was seen on video surveillance fleeing towards the municipality of Beausoleil in France," it wrote on X.

Mr Mirmand said witnesses had provided information to identify the suspect.

The explosive device apparently contained bolts and buckshot, Mr Mirmand said.

Emergency services treated four other people for shock and cuts from windows shattered in the blast, he said.

"This is the first time in history, to my knowledge, that such an act has taken place in the principality," he added.