An explosion at a residential building in Monaco on Monday evening has injured three people in what authorities are treating as a targeted attack, a rare eruption of violence in the wealthy Mediterranean city-state.
The attack
The blast went off shortly before 9 p.m. at the entrance to a building in Monaco, close to the border with France, Al Jazeera reported. Investigators said the device — described as a parcel or backpack bomb packed with shrapnel such as buckshot and bolts — had been left at the entrance and detonated deliberately. Monaco's government condemned what it called a "malicious act," and officials said it was the first attack of its kind in the principality's history.
The victims
The three people hurt were members of the same family, of Ukrainian origin: a couple in their 50s or 60s, both said to be in a life-threatening condition, and their teenage son, who was less seriously injured. Several outlets, including NPR, identified the targeted man as a Ukrainian-born businessman. No deaths have been reported.
The hunt
Surveillance footage captured a man placing a bag at the building's entrance shortly before the explosion and then leaving on foot, according to police, who said the suspect fled across the nearby border toward Beausoleil, in France, and remains at large. A criminal investigation is under way. Authorities have not stated a motive, and the reasons for the attack remain unclear.
A jarring breach
Monaco — a densely built enclave of around 38,000 people on the French Riviera, synonymous with wealth, yachts and tight security — records very little serious crime. A planned bombing in such a setting is highly unusual, and the case has drawn attention well beyond the principality's borders. With the suspect still being sought and the motive unestablished, key questions remain unanswered; this is a developing story.
