Monaco: Arrest warrant issued for suspect in booby-trap attempted murder

Monaco authorities have identified a suspect in the attempted assassination of a Ukrainian businessman, who was targeted by a booby-trapped package earlier this week. An arrest warrant has been issued for the individual, who Interpol will be seeking with a "red notice."

According to French media reports, investigators identified the suspect through security camera footage. The individual, seen with their head covered by a black hat, is believed to be a woman posing as a man. Monaco's public prosecutor, Stéphane Tiron, praised the efficiency of the police work and international cooperation that led to the swift identification.

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An arrest warrant has been issued for the suspect, who will be the subject of a red notice from Interpol tonight.

The attack occurred Monday evening when an individual left a package at the entrance of a building near Monaco's border with France before fleeing towards the French town of Beausoleil. An explosion followed shortly after, as the three victims returned to the building. While authorities have not officially confirmed the victims' identities, sources indicate the primary target was 58-year-old Vadim Ermolaev, a Cypriot national residing in Monaco.

Ermolaev has been under sanctions from Ukraine's National Security Council since December 2023 due to his business activities in Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014. His son is hospitalized in Nice with injuries, while Ermolaev and another adult are also receiving treatment. Ermolaev is reportedly out of danger, but the condition of the woman remains critical.

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The quality of the work of the Monegasque police and the effective international criminal cooperation, both police and judicial, thanks to which it was possible to identify in a particularly short time the person suspected of being the perpetrator of the acts.