Letter bomb explodes at IMF in Paris, one injured
One person was injured Thursday in an explosion after opening an envelope at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) offices in Paris, French police said.
The woman, an IMF employee, suffered minor injuries to the hand and face, according to media reports. Several people were evacuated from the building — located near the Arc de Triomphe — as a precaution, AFP reported.
It wasn't immediately clear who was responsible for the package.
IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde condemned the "cowardly act of violence."
“I have been informed about the explosion in the IMF's Paris office, which caused injuries to one of our staff. I have been in touch with the office, and my compassion goes to the colleagues there," she said in a statement from Frankfurt, Germany.
"I condemn this cowardly act of violence and reaffirm the IMF's resolve to continue our work in line with our mandate. We are working closely with the French authorities to investigate this incident and ensure the safety of our staff.”
It wasn’t immediately clear whether the incident is related to a package containing explosives that was delivered to Germany's Finance Ministry on Wednesday. That package was intercepted in the mail room and destroyed by German authorities in a controlled explosion. No injuries were reported.
Officials declined to confirm German media reports that the package was addressed to German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble, Deutsche Welle reported.
Berlin police said the package contained "an explosive mix" of a substance often used to make fireworks and "was designed to cause severe injuries" when opened.
The Conspiracy of Fire Nuclei, a Greek far-left group, claimed it was responsible for sending the German package, AFP reported.
"We claim responsibility for sending a booby-trapped parcel to the German finance minister," the group said in a statement posted on an anti-establishment website, according to the news agency.
Schäuble became deeply unpopular in Greece during the country's debt crisis.
