Monaco parcel bombing suspect identified as Interpol issues Red Notice and German police search flat
Interpol has issued a Red Notice for Anastasiia Berezovska, the woman Monaco authorities say is the chief suspect in a parcel bombing that injured a Ukrainian businessman and members of his family. The notice was issued on Friday as investigators widened a cross-border manhunt that already involves Monaco, Germany, France and Italy. German police have also searched a rented apartment in the Frankfurt area as part of the inquiry.
Sponsored
Monaco prosecutors said the explosive device was detonated remotely and that the suspect may not have acted alone. Deputy prosecutor Morgan Raymond said the evidence points to a sophisticated attack, with investigators considering the possibility of accomplices or a wider conspiracy. He also said the suspect was initially mistaken for a man on CCTV before further footage and witness testimony led police to identify a woman who allegedly disguised herself as a man.
The Red Notice says Berezovska, 39, is wanted in Monaco on charges including attempted murder, placing an explosive device in a public place with criminal intent and criminal conspiracy. Officials said she speaks German and has a tattoo on her right arm, possibly depicting a snake. German law enforcement said it had secured evidence from the search of her rented flat and would hand it over to Monaco authorities.
The attack has drawn attention because it took place in one of Europe's smallest and most closely watched jurisdictions. Monaco sits on the Mediterranean coast and has an open border with France, which can make cross-border movement rapid after a crime. That has made the investigation heavily dependent on cooperation between local prosecutors, German police, French authorities and Interpol.
Sponsored
According to investigators, the attacker entered a small apartment building between Boulevard d'Italie and Rue Révérend Père Louis Frolla, close to the French border, on Monday evening and left a package in the entrance hall. The device exploded at about 9 pm local time as three residents, a couple and their 13-year-old child, entered the building. The victims were identified by police as Vadym Iermolaiev, his wife and their son, while two other people were also slightly injured.
Officials have said the family appears to have been specifically targeted, but the motive has not been confirmed. Judicial sources said Berezovska was later spotted in Frankfurt, and investigators believe she may have crossed into France on foot before fleeing in a car rented in Germany and travelling through several European countries. The next steps are likely to depend on forensic analysis, further international cooperation and any new evidence from the German search.
Sponsored
