Police stands outside the Ukrainian embassy in Madrid after a letter bomb addressed to the ambassador injured a security officer. /Juan Medina/Reuters
Police stands outside the Ukrainian embassy in Madrid after a letter bomb addressed to the ambassador injured a security officer. /Juan Medina/Reuters
A letter bomb addressed to the Ukrainian ambassador exploded at Kyiv's embassy in Madrid on Wednesday, leading Ukraine to increase security at all its representative offices abroad.
A security officer handling the letter suffered light injuries and went to hospital for treatment, Spanish government official Mercedes Gonzalez told broadcaster Telemadrid.
In response to the incident, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba ordered all Kyiv's embassies abroad to "urgently" strengthen security.
The minister also called on Spain to "take urgent measures to investigate the attack." The perpetrators, a ministry spokesperson said, "will not succeed in intimidating Ukrainian diplomats or stopping their daily work on strengthening Ukraine and countering Russian aggression."
The letter came by ordinary mail and was not scanned, only causing "a very small wound on the ring finger of the right hand" of the employee, Gonzalez said.
She added that it was addressed to Ambassador Serhii Pohoreltsev.
Detectives were investigating the attack, aided by forensic and intelligence investigators, Spanish police said, while Spain's High Court will head the investigation.
Source(s): Reuters