BREAKING: Letter bomb explosion leaves one injured at IMF building in France
A letter exploded when it was opened at the offices in central Paris of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Thursday and one person was slightly injured, police sources said.
The Paris police department said on Twitter an operation was ongoing at the offices of the IMF and World Bank after a person was hurt following the apparent explosion of a suspect package.
“An envelope exploded after it was opened and one person was slightly injured in the offices of the IMF,” one police source told Reuters.
The incident, just six weeks before a presidential election, comes as a militant Greek group Conspiracy of Fire Cells claimed responsibility for a parcel bomb mailed to German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble on Wednesday.
According to Fox news, mailroom employees at the ministry quickly identified the package as suspicious and called in explosives experts, who destroyed it with a controlled explosion.
“The package contained an explosive mix,” Berlin Police said in a statement. “It was designed to cause severe injuries when the package is opened.”
A Greek far left group called the Conspiracy of Fire Cells said on its website that it had sent the device.
IMF chief Christine Lagarde has condemned the letter bomb of the fund office in Paris describing it as a “cowardly act.”
Meanwhile, French President Hollande has called the IMF parcel bomb an ‘attack’.
