Spanish judicial authorities are assessing the explosion of an envelope that took place this Wednesday at the Ukrainian embassy in Madrid as a possible terrorist crime and have decided to strengthen security at the diplomatic mission, official sources said.
The Spanish national police have already sent an initial report to the Audiencia Nacional, which will “soon start” steps in the investigation of a “possible crime of terrorism”, according to judicial sources quoted by the Spanish media.
A man was seriously injured at the Ukrainian embassy in Madrid today, according to the National Police of Spain, by the explosion of an object contained in an envelope.
Police sources revealed that the injured man is an embassy worker who was handling the envelope in the gardens of the diplomatic mission when the explosion happened.
Sources quoted by the EFE news agency explained that the The envelope arrived in the mail sent to the embassy, it was addressed to Ambassador Serhii Pohoreltsev and had not yet passed through a ‘scanner’ system to which correspondence is subject.
Other police sources quoted by the Europa news agency added that the envelope, with no return address, contained “elements of pyrotechnics”.
Ambassador Serhii Pohoreltsev told the “Ukrainian media” that an embassy official suspected the contents of the envelope, so the head of security went into the yard to inspect it before it passed through the usual “scanner.”
Upon hearing a “click,” the security chief released the envelope, which then exploded, the ambassador said.
The Spanish police received the alert from the Ukrainian embassy around 1:15 pm local time (12:15 pm in Lisbon) and a security and anti-terrorism device was activated.
Several units of the Spanish Police, including explosives experts and others from the Scientific Police, were sent to the site and a security perimeter was created around the building.
Spain’s interior ministry has since said security at the Ukrainian embassy in Madrid will be tightened, without giving further details.
After the explosion, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine asked the Spanish authorities to investigate the matter.
In a social media publication quoted by international bodies, a spokesman for Ukrainian diplomacy revealed that Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba “called on his Spanish counterpart to take urgent measures to investigate the attack on the mission “. Ukrainian diplomacy” in Madrid.
Kiev’s diplomacy added that instructions had been issued to urgently tighten security at all Ukrainian embassies abroad.
Ukraine was attacked militarily by Russia on February 24 this year, an offensive that is still ongoing and has been widely condemned by the international community.
Spain’s foreign minister, José Manuel Albares, revealed that he had spoken to his Ukrainian counterpart, to whom he expressed solidarity and support.
The delegation of the Spanish government in the community of Madrid asked for peace and tranquility regarding this matter, as well as time for the authorities to investigate what happened.
Source: DN
