A bomb went off after it was thrown at Russia’s Consulate General in the southern French port city of Marseille, French media reported Monday, citing sources in law enforcement.
Two explosive devices were thrown at the consulate’s facade around 7:30 a.m. local time, an unnamed police official told French broadcaster BFMTV. Only one of the devices successfully detonated, while a bomb squad is currently trying to defuse the other, the news outlet added.
No injuries or damage have been reported, though Russia’s Consul General in Marseille, Stanislav Oransky, confirmed the explosion and said firefighters were responding to the scene.
According to BFMTV, Oransky and all other diplomatic staff are waiting inside the consulate for the bomb disposal experts to defuse the bomb that did not detonate. Around 30 firefighters and police officers were deployed to the site, it added.
Earlier, media reported that unidentified assailants threw Molotov cocktails into the consulate’s garden. However, law enforcement authorities later ruled out that Molotov cocktails were used in the attack.
According to journalist Nicolas Boutin of Valeurs Actuelles, who cited anonymous police sources, authorities were investigating a stolen vehicle found nearby.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called the explosion a “terrorist act” and urged French authorities to conduct a thorough investigation, according to the state-run RIA Novosti news agency.
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