Man throws grenade at US embassy in Montenegro
An attacker threw a hand grenade at the US embassy in Montenegro’s capital and then killed himself with another explosive device, the Montenegran government announced yesterday.
No one else was hurt and there was no major damage. Police sealed off the area after the blasts, which occurred about midnight local time.
The US State Department said embassy officials were working with police to identify the assailant and to confirm all staff were safe.
Montenegro borders the Adriatic Sea in south-east Europe and its capital is Podgorica. It joined Nato last year despite strong opposition from its traditional Slavic ally Russia.
Several people, including two Russian secret service operatives, are on trial in Podgorica on charges that they wanted to overthrow Montenegro’s government in 2016 because of its pro-West policies.
The US established diplomatic ties with the tiny Balkan state in 2006 after it split from the much larger Serbia.
The embassy said on its Twitter account that it had cancelled all visa services yesterday, and that access for US citizens “will be available today on an emergency basis”.
A guard near the scene said he “heard two explosions, one after another”.
“Police came very quickly and the body of a man was taken away,” the witness told AFP.