Monaco Explosion Injures Three as Authorities Hunt Suspect After Deliberate Attack

A major explosion struck a residential building in Monaco on Monday evening at around 9pm local time, injuring three people including a teenager, as authorities treated the blast as a deliberate act.

“A man was reportedly captured on security cameras leaving a bag at the entrance of a residential building before fleeing towards the French border”

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Monaco’s Minister of State Christophe Mirmand told media outlets that "This is likely a terrorist attack" and said it was the first time such an act had occurred in the principality.

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French public prosecutor Stephane Thibault said a suspect had left a bag or package in the building’s lobby before leaving, and an aide to France’s Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said police were working "to find the perpetrator, who has fled".

The explosion was reported to have occurred on Rue Révérend Père Louis Frolla near the border with France, and the suspect was said to have fled on foot toward Beausoleil.

French media reported the explosive device appeared to contain bolts and buckshot, with two of the wounded described as in life-threatening or critical condition and a 13-year-old described as "very likely related to the couple".

Authorities’ language shifted from an initial description of an "attack" to a later characterization as a "deliberate explosion," with Christophe Mirmand telling AFP the blast was "very likely an attack" while later dropping the term "attack".

A source close to the investigations told AFP that one of the wounded was Ukrainian oligarch Vadym Yermolaiev, and Mirmand said the explosive device appeared to contain bolts and buckshot.

BBC

Public prosecutor Stephane Thibault said the suspect left a bag or package in the building’s lobby before leaving, and the BBC reported the blast reportedly occurred after a bag was left outside the building on Rue Révérend Père Louis Frolla.

The BBC also quoted Mirmand saying "This is the first time in history, to my knowledge, that such an act has taken place in the principality," while RNZ described the same incident as a deliberate explosion and said police were working to find the perpetrator.

Eric Ciotti confirmed via social media platform X that the incident was being investigated as a terror attack, writing: "The attack carried out this evening is a tragedy that strikes Monaco."

Police and emergency personnel were deployed to the scene after the blast at around 21:00 local time, and Monaco’s Public Security said CCTV footage showed the man placing a backpack before leaving.

The suspect was reported to have fled in the direction of Beausoleil, just over the border in France, and Monaco’s security forces were conducting a manhunt for the individual.

The BBC said police were investigating and that Mirmand told AFP the blast was "very likely an attack," while France 24 reported that an aide to France’s Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said police were working "to find the perpetrator, who has fled".

The injured included a couple in their 50s or 60s in life-threatening conditions and a 13-year-old who was "very likely related to the couple," and the device was described as appearing to contain bolts and pellets.

Mirmand said the prosecutor would give a news briefing on Tuesday, and the BBC reported that the blast reportedly occurred after a bag was left outside the building on Rue Révérend Père Louis Frolla near the border with France.