Letter bomb injures one employee at International Monetary Fund

A letter exploded when it was opened at the offices of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in central Paris on Thursday, with one woman being slightly injured.

French media reported that the woman, an executive assistant, had opened a parcel addressed to a senior IMF official that contained an explosive substance, burning her hands and face.

A spokesperson for the Paris prefecture of police said the explosive was likely to be a firework. "An operation is underway for a person injured by a suspicious package with, according to preliminary information, a firework inside," the spokesperson said. Police authorities in Paris later confirmed that the explosive substance was not a bomb but rather a home-made "big firecracker". 

#fmi Une intervention est en cours pour une personne blessée par un colis suspect avec, a priori, un artifice à l'intérieur.

— Préfecture de police (@prefpolice) March 16, 2017

Investigators told BFMTV the device was a "large black cylinder, about 30cm long", with the blast so large the room's ceiling was hit by shrapnel.

Around 150 employees were evacuated from the building, in the 16th arrondissement, as a precaution and forensic officers were on site.

France’s anti-terrorism branch has opened an investigation into attempted murder, destruction through explosive means, possession of explosive substance and links with a terrorist initiative, French media reports. 

A spokesman for the police said the IMF office had received threatening phone calls in recent days but there was no evidence that they were linked to the incident. 

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.

Greece's interior ministry said the package had a Greek stamp and was falsely put under the name of a New Democracy party member.

It was unclear if the two incidents are linked.

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.