PARIS - A female employee of the International Monetary Fund suffered injuries to her face and arms on Thursday when a letter bomb addressed to the world lender’s European representative blew up as she opened it, police said.

The letter, which had arrived by mail, exploded as it was opened by a secretary at the institution’s office in an upscale part of Paris. The secretary, whose hearing was also affected, was receiving treatment but her injuries were not life-threatening, Paris police chief Michel Cadot told reporters. The blast caused little damage to the office. The letter was intended for the IMF’s European representative, according to police. Jeffrey Franks, a 24-year veteran of the fund, has been director of the IMF’s Europe office since March 2015, according to its website.

Meanwhile, a teenage student opened fire on Thursday at a high school in southeastern France injuring three people, including the headmaster, in an attack carried out after he had watched American-style mass shooting videos, the interior ministry said.

The incident, which does not appear to be linked to terrorism, comes with France on high alert after more than 230 people were killed in the past two years by attackers allied to the militant group Islamic State. With a presidential election less than six weeks away, the attack by the 17-year-old armed with a hunting rifle seemed likely to further stimulate debate on security and fears of terrorism which are among big campaign issues.

Separately, in Paris, a female employee of the International Monetary Fund was injured in the face and arms when a letter bomb posted to the world lender’s Paris office blew up as she opened it, police said. Interior ministry spokesman Pierre-Henry Brandet said three people had been injured, and five other people were in shock after the teenager opened fire with the rifle in a high school in the town of Grasse.

The youth, who was also carrying two handguns and two grenades, was arrested at the school. Checks were underway to establish whether there was a second assailant.

“The first investigations suggest he had consulted American-style mass killings’ videos,” the spokesman said.

France has some of the strictest gun laws in the world. French citizens are banned from owning automatic weapons, while many other guns require government authorisation and a medical exam, along with a permit from a hunting or sport shooting federation.

A police source said the youth arrested did not seem to be known to police.

Local emergency services used Twitter to advise residents of the town of about 50,000 inhabitants to stay at home. The government launched a mobile telephone application warning of a “terrorist” attack, although this is now automatic for any such incident.

Witnesses interviewed by local television described a scene of panic as the gunman entered the canteen with students rushing to hide under tables or sprinting for the exit.

“It was total panic,” Achraf, a student, said on BFM TV. “The gunshots were at 4 to 5 metres from where we were. We thought the gunman was coming towards us. We heard him shouting.

“I just know the gunman by sight. He was gentle and low-key key, not a nasty guy.”</s>Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The IMF building is near the Arc de Triomphe, in the heart of the French capital

A letter bomb that exploded at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) office in Paris was sent from Greece, officials there say.

The IMF employee who opened the letter received hand and face injuries, and staff were evacuated.

It came after a parcel bomb meant for German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble was intercepted on Wednesday.

Greek far-left group the Conspiracy of Fire Cells claimed responsibility for sending that device.

French President Francois Hollande has noted a "similarity" between the two incidents.

"We are trying to establish the causes of what happened as part of an international investigation," he said.

IMF director Christine Lagarde condemned the "cowardly act of violence" against IMF staff.

'Firecracker'

Ms Lagarde said in a statement that the IMF was working closely with the French authorities to investigate the letter blast.

Greece's deputy minister for public order, Nikos Toskas, sad in a TV interview that the letter bomb was sent in the name of Vassilis Kikilias, a senior opposition politician from the conservative New Democracy party.

It bore a return address of an office in Greece "that is no longer in use", he said.

The letter bomb sent on Wednesday to Mr Schaeuble, which was intercepted and destroyed before it could explode, was sent in the name of Adonis Georgiadis, New Democracy's vice-chairman.

The explosive sent to the IMF was like a "big firecracker" and was sent by post, Paris police chief Michel Cadot said.

Image copyright Reuters Image caption Police descended on the area after the blast at the IMF

The office is located on the Avenue Iena, in a central district of the city centre near the Champs Elysees.

The IMF is one of three organisations, along with the European Commission and the European Central Bank (ECB), which bailed out the Greek government after it came close to defaulting on its debts.

In Germany, Mr Schaeuble is hosting the new US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

The device sent to his ministry, which was intercepted in the mailroom, was designed to cause "severe injuries" when it was opened, local police said in a statement.</s>PARIS — French prosecutors are investigating a possible Greek link after a letter exploded Thursday at the Paris' office of the International Monetary Fund, lightly injuring one person.

The IMF incident came as a Greek anarchist group claimed responsibility for a letter bomb sent to the German Finance Ministry the day before.

The Paris prosecutor's office said Thursday night investigators found "residues of Greek stamps" on the letter bomb at the IMF's office in the French capital.

French President Francois Hollande called Thursday's explosion in Paris "an attack" and noted "a similarity with another event of the same nature in Berlin. ... We are trying to establish the causes of what happened as part of an international investigation."

Authorities in Athens confirmed the Greek lead in the investigation.

"We've just been informed by the French authorities that [the parcel] was posted from Greece," Greece's deputy minister for public order Nikos Toskas told Antenna TV.

Toskas added that whoever sent the Paris' letter bomb used the name of a senior Greek conservative opposition lawmaker, Vassilis Kikilias, and "the address of an office that is no longer in use."

The failed letter bomb sent Wednesday to the German Finance Ministry also had the name of a false sender, that of another senior lawmaker from the same party, Adonis Georgiadis.</s>A letter exploded when it was opened at the offices in central Paris of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Thursday and one person was slightly injured, police sources said.

The Paris police department said on Twitter an operation was ongoing at the offices of the IMF and World Bank after a person was hurt following the apparent explosion of a suspect package.

"An envelope exploded after it was opened and one person was slightly injured in the offices of the IMF," one police source told Reuters.

The incident, just six weeks before a presidential election, comes as a militant Greek group Conspiracy of Fire Cells claimed responsibility for a parcel bomb mailed to German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble on Wednesday.</s>Paris police say a letter bomb exploded at the French office of the International Monetary Fund, lightly injuring one person.

A police official said no other damage was been reported in the incident in western Paris on Thursday. It is unclear who sent the letter. Police experts are at the scene, said the official, who was not authorized to be publicly named.

The IMF office in France did not immediately respond to calls.

France remains in a state of emergency after a string of deadly Islamic extremist attacks over the past two years.</s>A letter exploded when it was opened at the International Monetary Fund offices in central Paris, injuring one person in the face .

Police said there had been telephone threats against the IMF but it was not clear if they were linked to the explosive device. It was also unclear who had sent the device.

Christine Lagarde, the head of the IMF, said in a statement: “I have been informed about the the explosion in the IMF’s Paris office, which caused injuries to one of our staff. I have been in touch with the office, and my compassion goes to the colleagues there.

“I condemn this cowardly act of violence and reaffirm the IMF’s resolve to continue our work in line with our mandate. We are working closely with the French authorities to investigate this incident and ensure the safety of our staff.” 



The incident, just six weeks before a presidential election, comes as a militant Greek group, Conspiracy of Fire Cells, claimed responsibility for a parcel bomb mailed to German finance minister Wolfgang Schäuble.

France remains in a state of emergency after a string of deadly Islamic extremist attacks over the past two years.

Reuters and Associated Press contributed to this report</s>A letter bomb has detonated at the offices of the International Monetary Fund in the centre of Paris.The letter exploded when it was opened this morning.A police source in France said that one person was slightly injured in the blast.No other damage has been reported from the incident in western Paris, a police official said.</s>(PARIS) — A letter bomb exploded Thursday at the French office of the International Monetary Fund, lightly injuring one person, according to Paris police.

Staff from the IMF office were evacuated and armed military officers and police guarded the area, in a chic district of western Paris. The World Bank office in France is in the same compound.

It is unclear who sent the homemade explosive, which was like a "big firecracker" and sent by regular mail, said Paris police chief Michel Cadot. He said the IMF office had received threatening phone calls in recent days but they were not necessarily linked to Thursday's incident.

IMF director Christine Lagarde, who is French, said in a statement that she was informed about the explosion while on a trip to Germany. "I condemn this cowardly act of violence and reaffirm the IMF's resolve to continue our work in line with our mandate," she said.

The secretary who opened the letter was injured by shrapnel in the face and hurt in the eardrum because of a "rather violent noise," the police chief said.

Police searched all four floors of the building, Cadot said. No one else was injured and only light damages were incurred.

Thursday's incident came a day after a package arrived at the German Finance Ministry containing low-grade explosives, like those used in firecrackers. In the German incident, mailroom employees quickly identified the package as suspicious and called in experts, who destroyed it with a controlled explosion.

France remains in a state of emergency after a string of deadly Islamic extremist attacks over the past two years.</s>French police officers take position after letter bomb exploded at the French office of the International Monetary Fund, lightly injuring one person, Thursday March 16, 2017. A police official said no other damage was been reported in the incident. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)</s>When Paris Hilton utters her trademarked catchphrase “That’s hot!” these...
A letter bomb explodes at the office of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Paris, injuring one person.