An explosion was heard near the Russian consulate in Marseille, southern France, today. Russia's consul general in Marseille, Stanislav Oransky, said the explosion occurred inside the consulate, as reported by the Russian news site RBC.
The Russian news agency TASS spoke of "explosions" and, citing the Russian Foreign Ministry, reported that this incident has all the characteristics of a terrorist attack, urging France to take every measure to investigate it.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova also said the incident had "all the signs of a terrorist attack . "
Three Molotov cocktails were thrown by unknown assailants into the consulate's garden, according to Moscow agencies citing local news sources, which reported no injuries.
However, only two Molotov cocktails exploded in the garden of the diplomatic building. The Russian diplomatic headquarters is located in the eighth arrondissement of Marseille, where there are other consulates such as those of Egypt, Tunisia and Armenia.
Surveillance cameras at the municipality and nearby consulates have recorded footage that is being examined by investigators.
According to reports, law enforcement is searching for a black van that was parked near the consulate early this morning. It appears that police had spotted it and were trying to figure out the origin of the explosions. According to investigators, it is a stolen vehicle. (A2 Televizion)
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