Two men have been arrested in Marseille on suspicion of throwing “Molotov cocktails” at the Russian consulate on the morning of Monday, February 24. The suspects were detained later that evening during a pro-Ukraine demonstration.
The explosive devices were hurled into the consulate’s garden around 7:30 AM on the same day. According to police in the Bouches-du-Rhône, three plastic soda bottles were thrown, two of which exploded. An analysis was conducted on the remains of the substances inside the bottles.
The two suspects were identified from surveillance footage and arrested during the evening protest. Bomb disposal units were deployed to the consulate, and all staff, including the Russian consul, were confined inside the building. Fortunately, no one was injured in the explosions.
A total of thirty firefighters and police officers responded to the scene, and the area was promptly cordoned off. The municipal authorities of Marseille took to social media to explain that they “strongly condemn any act of violence.”
The Marseille prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation into the incident, charging the suspects with vandalism involving explosive or incendiary substances. The case has been assigned to the Organized and Specialized Crime Department.
