An explosion in Monaco has triggered a manhunt by police after a man fled on foot following the detonation of a homemade bomb that injured three individuals.
The incident took place in the popular tourist spot of Rue Reverend-Pere-Louis-Frolla around 9pm on Monday, June 29.
Surveillance footage captured a man, dressed in a black bucket hat and jumper, abandoning a backpack in a residential building’s entrance hall before quickly leaving the scene.
According to Monaco’s public prosecutor general, Thibault Stéphane, two of the wounded victims are in critical condition.
One of the injured has been identified as Ukrainian oligarch Vadim Ermolaev, a 58-year-old wealthy property developer who obtained Cypriot citizenship in 2019. Ukraine had imposed sanctions on him in December 2023.
Ermolaev’s wife and a teenager were also injured in what is believed to be a targeted attack. The adults were taken to Pasteur Hospital in Nice for treatment, while the teenager received immediate care at the scene.
The Monégasque government has labeled the incident as “a malicious act.”
Monaco’s Minister of State, Christophe Mirmand, mentioned that the explosive device likely contained bolts and shot, marking the first such incident in the Principality’s history.
The suspect, who crossed the border into France, was identified through video surveillance in Monaco and the neighboring town of Beausoleil. A significant police presence has been established in the area as authorities conduct a manhunt for the fugitive, who was reportedly heading towards the French border.
The mayor of Nice, Eric Ciotti, expressed solidarity with Monaco in the aftermath of the attack, offering support to the victims and emergency services.
Local witnesses initially mistook the explosion for a firework display, with Marine Cotta recalling her realization of the severity of the situation only after hearing emergency services responding.
Cotta mentioned being alerted to the incident through social media and described hearing police sirens and alarms, which made her aware of the seriousness of the situation.