Prosecutors called the blast an attempted assassination and said terrorism is not suspected.
MONACO — Police in Monaco and France searched Tuesday for a suspect accused of planting a parcel bomb that exploded Monday night at a residential building, injuring three people, including a child, in what prosecutors called a targeted attack.
The blast shook a wealthy city-state known for tight security and low violent crime. Monaco Prosecutor General Stéphane Thibault said investigators are treating the explosion as attempted assassination, not terrorism. Officials said the victims were taken to a hospital in Nice, France, as police studied surveillance footage and worked with French authorities to find the person who fled after leaving the device.
The explosion happened just before 9 p.m. Monday at the entrance of an apartment building near the French border. Thibault said a man entered the building, placed a package in the lobby and left. The device exploded moments later as three people arrived at a ground-floor apartment. “It is clearly a deliberate act,” Thibault said at a Tuesday news conference. The injured included two adults and a 13-year-old child. Officials said one adult was no longer in critical condition, while the other adult remained in life-threatening condition. The child’s injuries were not considered life-threatening.
Investigators said surveillance images showed the suspect leaving the building and heading toward France on foot. French media published images of a man wearing a dark top, light pants and a dark bucket hat. Authorities did not release his name, and no arrest had been announced by Tuesday evening. Officials said two other people outside the building were hurt by flying glass but were not counted among the three main victims. The explosive device was described as a parcel bomb. Some reports said it contained metal pieces meant to increase injuries, but officials had not released full forensic findings.
Authorities did not publicly identify the victims. Several news organizations reported that the injured man was Vadym Yermolaiev, a Ukrainian-born businessman and former real estate developer from Dnipro, Ukraine. Monaco officials said the adult male victim had lived in the principality since at least 2021. Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said people of Ukrainian origin were among those hurt and said Ukrainian diplomats in France, who also cover Monaco, were in contact with local authorities. Yermolaiev renounced Ukrainian citizenship and later became a Cypriot citizen. Ukraine sanctioned him in 2023 over alleged business activity connected to Russian-occupied Crimea, an allegation he has denied in past interviews.
The bombing drew quick condemnation from Monaco’s leaders. Prince Albert II called the attack an odious act, and Minister of State Christophe Mirmand described the blast as unprecedented for the principality. Monaco, a tiny enclave on the Mediterranean coast, is surrounded by France and has long been known for luxury housing, casinos, finance and heavy police presence. The location of the blast near the border widened the search almost immediately because a suspect could cross into the neighboring French town of Beausoleil within minutes. French authorities opened a parallel investigation to support the Monaco probe.
The motive remained unknown Tuesday. Thibault said investigators had not been able to fully question the victims because of their injuries. He said the facts known so far pointed to a planned attack against people in the apartment, but prosecutors had not announced who ordered it or why. Police were reviewing video from the building and nearby streets, checking the suspect’s route and examining the remains of the explosive device. Officials also were expected to compare witness accounts with camera footage from Monaco and the French side of the border.
At the scene Tuesday, police blocked access near the damaged building as investigators worked around the entrance. Images from the area showed shattered glass, a security perimeter and emergency vehicles near the residence. Neighbors and passersby described a loud blast in an area better known for quiet streets and guarded apartment buildings. The attack left Monaco residents watching a rare violent crime investigation unfold in public, with officers moving between the building, nearby streets and border routes into France.
The search for the suspect continued Tuesday night, with Monaco and French investigators working together. Prosecutors said the case remains open as attempted assassination, and the next major step is identifying and arresting the person seen placing the package before the blast.
Author note: Last updated June 30, 2026.