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Blast Sparks Panic at Ukrainian Embassy in Madrid

ATTACK

A letter reportedly addressed to the Ukrainian ambassador contained an explosive device, leaving a staffer injured.

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Thomas Coex/AFP via Getty

A staff member at the Ukrainian Embassy in Madrid was injured Wednesday when an explosion rang out as he opened a letter. Police said the employee, who was not named, was able to get to a local hospital of his own accord after suffering minor injuries. The Spanish newspaper El Español, citing police, reported that the letter, which apparently contained an explosive device, was addressed to Ukrainian Ambassador Serhii Pohoreltsev. The area surrounding the embassy has been blocked off while detectives investigate the incident. “The Ukrainian Embassy in Spain received an envelope. During the inspection, the envelope burst in the hands of the commandant. The commandant received minor injuries, he is now hospitalized and receiving the necessary medical care. There are no threats to his life,” Oleg Nikolenko, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, wrote in a statement on Facebook. He said Ukraine's foreign minister had asked Spanish authorities to “take urgent measures to investigate the attack.”

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