Police hunt for suspects after three injuries in Monaco | Crime Stories

A Ukrainian oligarch is said to have been among the injured in an apartment building explosion in the Mediterranean region.

Police in Monaco and neighboring France are hunting a man suspected of detonating a makeshift bomb in the heart of the wealthy Mediterranean capital, which seriously injured several people, authorities said.

Three people, including a teenager, were injured in an explosion that occurred at around 9pm local time (19:00 GMT) on Monday at a residence in Monaco, according to authorities in the small French Riviera region, known as a destination for billionaires and their luxury yachts.

According to the AFP news agency, Ukrainian oligarch Vadym Yermolaiev was among the injured.

Monaco Government Minister Christophe Mirmand initially told AFP that the blast appeared to be an “attack”, but later retracted that statement, saying it was a “deliberate explosion”.

A family in their 50s or 60s had a life-threatening situation, while a 13-year-old “relative” was not seriously injured, Mirmand said, without revealing their identity.

The explosive device appeared to contain bolts and buckshot, Mirmand said.

“This is the first time in history, as far as I know, that such a practice has been carried out on a large scale,” he said.

A source close to the investigation who asked not to be named told AFP that one of the injured was Yermolaiev.

Yermolaiev, a Monaco-based billionaire, has been under sanctions by Kyiv since December 2023, which Ukrainian security officials say stemmed from his liquor business in Russia’s annexed Crimea.

Monaco prosecutor Stephane Thibault said the suspect left a bag or package at the reception area before leaving.

French newspaper Le Figaro said video footage showed a man dropping a bag at the door of the building just before the explosion.

Prince Albert II of Monaco described the incident as a “horrible crime” and “shocking for all Monegasques”.

French Interior Ministry Assistant Laurent Nunez said police were working “to find the culprit, who has fled”.

An AFP photographer at the scene saw a large number of police officers with access to the area closed, as a helicopter circled overhead.