PARIS, June 30. /TASS/. The explosion that injured three people in Monaco on Monday is not believed to be a terrorist attack, while the investigation and search for the perpetrator continues, Monaco’s Prosecutor General Stephane Thibault said at a press conference.

"The information we have rules out that the incident was a terrorist attack," the prosecutor said. "From a legal standpoint, this investigation concerns attempted murder and the placement of explosives or explosive devices in a public area," he clarified. At the same time, he added that he is in contact with France’s National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office (PNAT), and that Nice has launched its own investigation in France over the incident.

According to Thibault, Monaco’s law enforcement agencies are currently working with their French counterparts to identify the person who planted the explosive device. The prosecutor stated that the suspect acted alone and left the "package" containing the explosive device at the entrance to the building shortly before the arrival of the three residents hurt in the attack. The LCI TV channel previously reported that the suspect left the scene just 20 seconds before the explosive device detonated. Authorities have not yet been able to apprehend the suspect; more than 80 Monaco law enforcement officers, working alongside their French counterparts, are searching for the perpetrator, whose trail has so far led to Beausoleil, France.

On June 29, media outlets reported an explosion at the entrance of a residential building in Monaco at 9 p.m. local time (7 p.m. GMT). Three victims are in serious condition; all are members of the same family. According to the country’s Minister of State (head of government) Christophe Mirmand, Monaco has never seen an attack like this. According to the investigation, an unidentified man left a backpack at the building’s entrance; when the family members opened the door, an explosion was triggered. Preliminary reports indicate that the explosive device was filled with bolts and metal pellets.

The BFMTV channel states that one of the victims of the explosion is Vadim Yermolayev, a Cypriot citizen whom Ukrainian media had included on a list of the wealthiest Ukrainian businesspeople. Yermolayev renounced his Ukrainian citizenship in 2019. In 2023, Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council imposed sanctions against him.