A manhunt is underway in Monaco after a homemade bomb explosion injured three people, with the suspect fleeing the scene on foot. The incident took place at Rue Reverend-Pere-Louis-Frolla on Monday evening. Surveillance footage captured a man in a black bucket hat and jumper leaving a backpack in a residential building before hastily departing. Two of the victims are in critical condition, as confirmed by Monaco’s public prosecutor general, Thibault Stéphane.
Among the injured is Ukrainian oligarch Vadim Ermolaev, who, along with his family, had moved from Ukraine where he had amassed wealth as a property developer. Ermolaev acquired Cypriot citizenship in 2019, and Ukraine imposed sanctions on him in December 2023.
Ermolaev’s wife and a teenager were also injured in what authorities believe was a targeted attack. While the two adults were taken to Pasteur Hospital in Nice for treatment, the teenager received medical attention on-site. The Monégasque government labeled the incident as a “malicious act.”
Christophe Mirmand, Monaco’s Minister of State, mentioned that the explosive device likely contained bolts and shot, marking the first such incident in the Principality. The suspect, identified via video surveillance, crossed into France on foot and was tracked in both Monaco and the neighboring town of Beausoleil. A massive police presence has been mobilized in the area as a search for the suspect unfolds.
The mayor of Nice, Eric Ciotti, expressed solidarity with Monaco, calling the attack a tragedy. Local witnesses initially mistook the explosion for a fireworks display before realizing the severity of the situation. Marine Cotta recounted hearing emergency responders and alarms, realizing the gravity of the event only after checking social media for information.