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Interpol on Friday issued a Red Notice for a Ukrainian woman suspected of planting a remote-detonated parcel bomb at a Monaco apartment building that injured three people, including a Ukrainian-born tycoon, as investigators said the sophistication of the attack suggested the suspect likely did not act alone.
The suspect, identified as Anastasiia Berezovska, 39, was later spotted in Frankfurt, Germany, after fleeing Monaco on foot and driving through Italy and several other European countries in a car rented in Germany, according to Monaco's deputy prosecutor, Morgan Raymond.
Raymond told reporters the attacker left a parcel in front of a building in Monaco and detonated the device with a remote control when the three victims arrived.
The remains of the bomb are being analyzed in France, Raymond said.
Officials had initially described the suspect as male.
A broader review of CCTV footage from previous days and testimony from a witness redirected the investigation toward a woman disguised as a man, Raymond said. Monaco's director of public security, Eric Arella, held up copies of the Interpol wanted notice at a news conference with the prosecutor.
The Interpol Red Notice says Berezovska was born in Ukraine, has dark, shoulder-length hair, speaks German and has a tattoo, possibly depicting a snake, on her right arm from the shoulder to the elbow.
Two photographs in the notice show her wearing a white T-shirt with dark stripes. One image shows her in a street holding what appears to be an electronic device, trailing a cable in her left hand.
Berezovska is wanted by Monaco for attempted murder, placing an explosive device in a public place with criminal intent and criminal conspiracy, according to the Red Notice.
"The sophistication of the attack has led investigators to consider it likely that the suspect did not act alone," Raymond said.
Two people were arrested in Monaco earlier in the week but have been released, he added.
Monaco prosecutor Stephane Thibault said police opened an attempted murder investigation but did not qualify it as a terrorism investigation.
Monaco authorities have not officially identified the three victims, but said they are a family and appear to have been specifically targeted. Media reports identified Ukrainian construction tycoon Vadym Yermolaiev, 58, as among the wounded.
Yermolaiev has said he renounced his Ukrainian citizenship nearly a decade ago and has been a resident of Monaco since at least 2021.
He was targeted by Ukrainian sanctions in December 2023 over his business activities in Crimea, which was annexed by Russia.
Yermolaiev's partner and son were also injured. As of Friday, one victim remained in a life-threatening condition. By Wednesday, Yermolaiev was no longer in critical condition, though his partner's condition remained unstable.
The child was admitted in non-critical condition to the Lenval Children's Hospital in Nice, while the two adults were taken to Nice University Hospital.
The bombing shocked Monaco, an ultra-secure microstate on the Mediterranean coast known for its high concentration of wealthy residents. Monaco's Prince Albert II described the attack as "an odious act" and said all public services were mobilized to ensure security.
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