Attack on the Russian consulate in France. – Photo: Graphics
An explosion occurred at the Russian Consulate in Marseille, France on Monday. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that it looks like a terrorist attack. About thirty firefighters reached the site of the explosion.
However, Russian news agency ‘TASS’ quoted a report by France’s BFMTV as saying that there were no reports of casualties in the incident. ‘TASS’ quoted a magazine report as saying that unidentified people had thrown two petrol bombs in the garden of the consulate. A stolen car was also found near the scene.
Russian Foreign Ministry demands investigation
Zakharova said, Russia demands an immediate and thorough investigation of the incident and appeals to take steps to increase the security of Russian facilities. She said, the blast at the Russian Consulate in Marseille has all the signs of a terrorist attack. We demand that France immediately and deeply investigate the incident and take measures to increase the security of Russia’s facilities located abroad.
SVR had warned of attack
Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) warned on February 19 that the Ukrainian government was planning terrorist attacks on Russian embassies in Europe, especially in Germany, the Baltic and Scandinavian (Norway, Sweden and Denmark) countries.
President Macron had also described the stabbing as a terrorist attack
Earlier, a case of knife attack was also reported in France, in which one person died and three were injured. President Emmanuel Macron had described this attack as Islamic terrorism. A Portuguese citizen was killed in this incident in Mulhouse near the German border. Seven police officers were also injured in the incident.