Arrest warrant issued over Monaco bomb attack targeting Ukrainian oligarch

Authorities in Monaco have issued an arrest warrant for a suspect believed to have orchestrated a parcel bomb attack in the principality, and said the individual will also be subject to an Interpol red notice, officials announced on June 2.

An Interpol red notice is a request to law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a suspect, but it is not an international arrest warrant. French media reported that the main suspect is a woman who has not been located in either Monaco or neighbouring France, according to Reuters.

Officials said further details in the case are expected to be released later on the morning of July 3.

The investigation follows a June 29 explosion in which a parcel bomb injured three people in Monaco. Authorities believe the attack may have targeted a Ukrainian-born businessman.

The suspect is thought to have fled on foot into France, which shares an open border with Monaco.

Ukrainian outlet Novini.LIVE, citing a source, reported that the intended target was Vadym Yermolaiev, a businessman originally from Dnipro, Ukraine. French newspaper Le Figaro also reported that the critically injured man may have been Yermolaiev.

Yermolaiev, who renounced his Ukrainian citizenship after obtaining Cypriot nationality in 2019, is the founder of Alef Group, a conglomerate with interests in real estate and agribusiness. He has previously been listed among Ukraine’s wealthiest individuals.

By Sabina Mammadli