Arrest warrant issued for suspect in Monaco parcel bombing

A significant story is unfolding on the international scene. Arrest warrant issued for suspect in Monaco parcel bombingImage source, EPAByTabby WilsonPublished23 minutes agoA suspect has been identified in the investigation into a parcel bombing in Monaco that seriously wounded a sanctioned Ukrainian multi-millionaire and two others. Monaco's prosecutor's office said an arrest warrant has been issued against the suspect, who they say is a foreign national and no longer in Monaco. They added an Interpol red notice would also be issued.

On Monday evening, a person was seen on video surveillance leaving a package in the entrance hall of a building in Monaco. Shortly afterwards, an explosion went off, injuring three people as they entered. Authorities said the incident was being investigated as attempted murder, not as a terrorist attack.

The Details

After the explosion at an apartment building near Monaco's border with France, a suspect was seen fleeing towards the French commune of Beausoleil. While the suspect, who was wearing a black hat, was originally thought to be a man, local media outlets have said that the person of interest was a woman who was trying to conceal her identity. Monaco's public prosecutor, Stéphane Thibault, did not comment on that but thanked police from Monaco and France for their co-operation which made it possible "to identify, in a particularly short time, the person suspected of having carried out the attack.

""An arrest warrant has been issued for the suspect, who will be the subject of an Interpol Red Notice from this evening," the Monaco prosecutor's office said on Thursday night. Thibault said an update would be given around 12:00 (10:00 GMT) on Friday. Monaco authorities have not confirmed the victims' identities, but according to local reports, the attack targeted Vadym Yermlaiev, his partner and his son.

Yermolaiev, 58, is a wealthy real estate developer, who has been living in Monaco. He is a Cypriot citizen after renouncing his Ukrainian citizenship in 2019. He has big interests in the wine and alcohol business in Russian-annexed Crimea, and since 2023 has been the subject of sanctions imposed by the government in Kyiv.

What Experts Say

He was named the 39th richest Ukrainian by Forbes magazine in 2020, with a fortune of $230m (£173. The three victims, which included a 13-year-old, were transported to hospital following the bombing. The two adults were initially said to be in a critical condition.

On Wednesday, the man was no longer in a life-or-death situation, but the woman's condition had not yet stabilised, reports. Monaco's Prince Albert II described the incident as a "heinous crime".

The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.