Projectiles Thrown at Russian Consulate in France, One Explodes, Says Source

Bomb-squad officers prepare a demining robot in front of the Russian consulate in Marseille, after improvised explosive devices were thrown, on February 24, 2025. (AFP)
Bomb-squad officers prepare a demining robot in front of the Russian consulate in Marseille, after improvised explosive devices were thrown, on February 24, 2025. (AFP)
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Projectiles Thrown at Russian Consulate in France, One Explodes, Says Source

Bomb-squad officers prepare a demining robot in front of the Russian consulate in Marseille, after improvised explosive devices were thrown, on February 24, 2025. (AFP)
Bomb-squad officers prepare a demining robot in front of the Russian consulate in Marseille, after improvised explosive devices were thrown, on February 24, 2025. (AFP)

Two projectiles were thrown at the perimeter wall of Russia's consulate in the southern French port city of Marseille on Monday, one of which exploded, a French security source said. 

It was not immediately clear if the projectiles cleared the wall. BFM TV said the projectiles were Molotov cocktails and that they landed in the consulate's garden. 

Russia demanded a full French investigation and said the incident looked like an act of terrorism, state news agency TASS reported. 

No one was injured, the security source said. Consulate staff were kept indoors and police set up a security perimeter around the consulate. 

The incident in the southern French city took place on the third anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine war. 

"The explosions on the territory of the Russian Consulate General in Marseille have all the hallmarks of a terrorist attack," TASS quoted Russia's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova as saying. 

Marseille, France’s second-largest city and a major Mediterranean port, is home to a diverse population but does not have a notably large Russian community. France has seen multiple protests against Russia’s war in Ukraine since 2022, including demonstrations in Marseille, Paris, and other cities. 



French Politicians Condemn Mosque Stabbing Attack

A protestor holds a sign reading "Justice for Aboubakar, Islamophobia kills" during a gathering in tribute to Aboubakar, the worshipper killed in a mosque at La Grand-Combe, and against Islamophobia, at the Place de la Republique in Paris on April 27, 2025. (Photo by Alain JOCARD / AFP)
A protestor holds a sign reading "Justice for Aboubakar, Islamophobia kills" during a gathering in tribute to Aboubakar, the worshipper killed in a mosque at La Grand-Combe, and against Islamophobia, at the Place de la Republique in Paris on April 27, 2025. (Photo by Alain JOCARD / AFP)
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French Politicians Condemn Mosque Stabbing Attack

A protestor holds a sign reading "Justice for Aboubakar, Islamophobia kills" during a gathering in tribute to Aboubakar, the worshipper killed in a mosque at La Grand-Combe, and against Islamophobia, at the Place de la Republique in Paris on April 27, 2025. (Photo by Alain JOCARD / AFP)
A protestor holds a sign reading "Justice for Aboubakar, Islamophobia kills" during a gathering in tribute to Aboubakar, the worshipper killed in a mosque at La Grand-Combe, and against Islamophobia, at the Place de la Republique in Paris on April 27, 2025. (Photo by Alain JOCARD / AFP)

French politicians on Sunday condemned an attack in which a man was stabbed to death while praying at a mosque in southern France, an incident that was captured on video and disseminated on Snapchat.
President Emmanuel Macron offered his support to the man's family and to the French Muslim community, writing in a post on X: "Racism and religiously motivated hatred will never belong in France."
Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau on Sunday visited the town of Ales where Friday's attack took place and met with religious leaders, Reuters reported.
He said the suspect, who was still at large, had made anti-Muslim comments and had said he wanted to kill others. "So there is a fascination with violence," Retailleau told French broadcaster BFM TV.
The town's prosecutor told reporters on Sunday the suspect had been identified. The suspect's brother had been questioned by investigators on Saturday.
A march to commemorate the victim took place in the nearby town of La Grand-Combe, on Sunday afternoon and a demonstration against Islamophobia was expected in Paris in the evening.
France, a country that prides itself on its homegrown secularism known as "laicite," has the largest Muslim population in Europe, numbering more than 6 million and making up around 10% of the country's population.