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Interpol names Berezovska
Interpol issued a “red notice” for 39-year-old Anastasiia Berezovsk(a), identifying her as the suspect in the June 29 Monaco bombing at an apartment building entrance that injured three people, including a Ukrainian tycoon.
“Monaco bombing twist: Female suspect dressed like a man in bombing that injured Ukrainian tycoon, authorities say An Interpol arrest warrant has been issued for 39-year-old Anastasiia Berezovsk”
Monaco deputy prosecutor Morgan Raymond said the suspect was “disguised as a man,” and prosecutors described how the attacker placed an explosive device on the entrance steps and detonated it with a remote control.
Authorities said investigators traced the suspect’s escape route from Monaco into southern France and then to Italy, and Raymond said the review of surveillance video allegedly captured her making reconnaissance visits on June 26 and June 27.
German authorities said they searched a rented apartment and a vehicle belonging to the suspect in the Main-Taunus district of Hesse, Germany, and stated that evidence was secured for handover to Monaco authorities.
The case entered a broader manhunt after prosecutors said they do not believe the suspect acted alone, citing “the relative sophistication of the explosive device and the modus operandi.”
Victims, injuries, and route
Monaco authorities have not released the identities of the three wounded, but French media reports cited by ABC News identified them as a 58-year-old multimillionaire Ukrainian business tycoon with Russian ties, his 13-year-old son, and the boy’s 46-year-old mother.
ABC News reported that the 58-year-old victim and his son were in stable condition at a hospital, while the 46-year-old female victim remained in critical condition.
The Guardian reported that the attacker left a package in the entrance hall of a small apartment building between the Boulevard d’Italie and the Rue Révérend Père Louis Frolla in Monaco, metres from the French border, and that an explosive device went off at about 9pm local time as the three residents entered.
The Guardian said the child was admitted in non-critical emergency condition to the Lenval children’s hospital in Nice, while the two adults were taken to Nice university hospital, and it added that hospital authorities said the man was no longer in a life-or-death situation but the woman’s condition remained critical.
In parallel, Al Jazeera said the bomb was detonated from a distance using a remote control, and it quoted Raymond saying “The relative sophistication of the explosive device and the modus operandi suggest that the person who planted the device did not act alone.”
Manhunt, cooperation, and charges
Monaco’s head of state, Prince Albert II, described the blast as “an odious act” and said all public services were mobilized to ensure security, while prosecutors said the investigation was supported by international law enforcement cooperation.
“Interpol has identified a Ukrainian woman as the main suspect in a bomb attack in Monaco that reportedly targeted a Ukrainian tycoon with links to Russia, according to officials”
The Interpol notice posted on its website sought Berezovska’s arrest on charges of attempted murder, placing an explosive device in a public place with criminal intent and criminal conspiracy, and Monaco’s prosecutor Stephane Thibault said the identification was made possible by “effective international criminal cooperation, both police and judicial”.
German criminal police said they searched the rented flat and car of a 39-year-old Ukrainian woman and stated that “Evidence was secured which will be handed over to the Monegasque authorities,” adding that “The wanted woman is currently on the run.”
France 24 reported that Monaco authorities issued an international arrest warrant and opened a judicial investigation for attempted murder and several other charges, with three investigating judges entrusted to oversee the inquiry.
CNN reported that prosecutors said the sophistication of the bomb indicated more than one perpetrator was involved, and it noted that two men were arrested in Monaco before being released due to lack of evidence.
