Interpol names suspect in Monaco bombing that reportedly targeted Russia-linked Ukrainian tycoon

The Interpol notice says the suspect has a tattoo, possibly of a snake, on her right arm from the shoulder to the elbow. It says she was born in Ukraine, has dark hair, and speaks German.

Her arrest is sought by authorities in Monaco for attempted murder, placing an explosive device in a public place with criminal intent, and criminal conspiracy.

Morgan Raymond, the deputy prosecutor in Monaco, said the bomb was detonated from a distance, using a remote control. The remains of the bomb are being analyzed in France, he said.

He added that the suspect was initially identified as a heavily built person appearing to be male, wearing a dark long-sleeved top, light-colored shorts and a black bucket hat. A broader review of CCTV footage from previous days and testimony from a witness redirected the investigation toward a woman disguised as a man.

Eric Arella, Monaco’s director of public security, held up copies of the Interpol wanted notice at the news conference with the prosecutor. It included two photos of a woman wearing a white T-shirt with dark stripes, one of them in a street where she’s holding what appears to be some sort of electronic device, trailing a cable, in her left hand.

The judicial investigation also focused on whether the suspect had accomplices or acted on behalf of someone else.

“The relative sophistication of the explosive device and the modus operandi suggest that the person who planted the device did not act alone,” Raymond said.

Two male individuals were taken into police custody as part of the investigation, but both were subsequently released.

Investigators also identified a rented vehicle fitted with German license plates used by the suspect in Monaco. The suspect’s escape route was traced, including the journey from France into Italy, and then across several European countries up to her country of residence. Raymond said that her last known address is in Germany, “a country with which judicial cooperation is particularly active.”

The attack shocked the country on the Mediterranean coast, one of the world’s smallest sovereign states and known for its high concentration of wealthy residents. Monaco’s Prince Albert II described it as “an odious act” and said all public services were mobilized to ensure security.

Ukraine is believed to have carried out attacks and targeted killings of Russian figures in the course of the war, although those attacks have largely been confined to Ukrainian or Russian territory.

In December 2024, Ukraine’s security service claimed responsibility for killing the head of nuclear, biological and chemical military protection forces for the Russian military.

Western intelligence officials have recently said that Russia has ramped up a campaign of targeted killings since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

John Leicester And Samuel Petrequin, The Associated Press

by The Canadian Press

Interpol names suspect in Monaco bombing that reportedly targeted Russia-linked Ukrainian tycoon

Our Community