An explosion at a residential building in Monaco injured a Ukrainian oligarch and his family, according to reports.
French and Ukrainian media reported that billionaire Vadym Yermolaiev, his partner and 13-year-old son were hurt after a shrapnel-filled “parcel bomb” was left outside their apartment on Rue Révérend Père Louis Frolla.
The adults are reported to be in a critical condition.
Local authorities said the attacker, who had dumped a backpack full of bolts and pellets, fled to France.
Monaco’s Prince Albert II called it an “odious and heinous crime” and said all the country’s state services were mobilised to ensure security.
The attack on Monday night stunned the elite principality on the Mediterranean Coast.
Minister of State Christophe Mirmand told reporters the motive is under investigation.
“This is the first time in history, to my knowledge, that such an act has taken place in the principality,” he said.
The explosion occurred around 9pm local time at the entrance of a residence near the French border, injuring two adults and a child who were taken to hospitals in Nice, he added.
Le Figaro said CCTV shows a man dropping a backpack in the lobby of the building shortly before the blast.
The suspect is thought to have crossed the border into France on foot, and was identified via video surveillance in Monaco and the neighbouring French town of Beausoleil.
A French national police official said officers are searching for the suspect and supporting the investigation, but would not elaborate.
French broadcaster BFM and Ukrainian news site Ukrainska Pravda identified one of the injured as construction tycoon Yermolaiev.
It was reported Yermolaiev had been targeted by Ukrainian sanctions in 2023 for ties to Russia.
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