France arrests two over explosion at Russian consulate

MARSEILLE: French authorities have arrested two people after improvised explosive devices were thrown at the Russian consulate in the southern city of Marseille, prosecutors said on Tuesday.

The attack on the third anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Monday did not injure anyone.

Police said three plastic soda bottles were lobbed into the consulate's gardens and only two exploded.

Moscow called it a "terrorist attack", while Paris condemned "any infringement of the security of diplomatic compounds".

The Marseille prosecutor's office said those detained were adults, but did not provide details.

Regional newspaper La Provence reported they were identified during a pro-Ukraine protest on Monday evening.

No one in the neighbourhood that AFP spoke to had heard any blast.

On February 24, 2022, Russian leader Vladimir Putin invaded pro-Western Ukraine, setting off the biggest conflict in Europe since World War II.