A strong and powerful explosion was recorded this Monday night in the Principality of Monaco, as reported, citing a police source. The events occurred shortly before 9:00 p.m. on Révérend Père Louis Frolla street, the same source added. The explosion, however, could be heard several blocks away.
The Monegasque Government reported at least three people injured, two of them extremely seriously, in this explosion that it described as “intentional.” Video surveillance cameras captured an individual who left a backpack in front of the entrance door of a building just as several people entered it. The suspect then fled on foot towards the neighboring town of Beausoleil.
The French newspaper states that the three victims are members of the same Ukrainian family. The two parents, one of whom could be Vadim Ermolaev, a Ukrainian oligarch linked to arms trafficking who fled the war and sanctioned in his country, according to the television network BFMTV, are in critical condition, while a minor is stable.
The explosive device apparently contained screws and pellets, explained the Minister of State (head of Government), Christophe Mirmand. “Police services are carrying out investigations and collecting evidence,” he explained. “To my knowledge, it is the first time in history that an act of this type has occurred in the Principality,” added the Minister of State.
The Côte d’Azur has become in recent times. Nice, a few kilometers away, has recently experienced episodes of extreme violence between the clans. Last October, two people died, two were seriously injured and three others were slightly injured in a shooting with military weapons.
The mayor of Nice, Éric Ciotti, the “attack committed” in Monaco, which he described as a “tragedy”. “My thoughts are with the victims, their families and the Monegasque people. All my support to the security forces and the emergency services mobilized,” he added.
The attack committed this evening is a tragedy which strikes Monaco.
Thoughts for the victims, their families and the Monegasque people. Full support for the security forces and mobilized emergency services.
— Eric Ciotti (@eciotti)
