Man threw grenade at US embassy in Montenegro

An unknown man threw a grenade at the US embassy in Podgorica, Montenegro, the government says.

The unidentified attacker threw an explosive device into the embassy compound before killing himself with a second device.

It said the device thrown was likely a hand grenade.

The attack happened just before midnight on Wednesday, with people in the area hearing two explosions. No one else was hurt and there was no major damages.

The US embassy issued a security alert, advising people to stay away from the mission.

Police are investigating the incident and who might have been behind it. A senior official from the US state department told the New York Times that the motive for the attack was unknown.

Steve Goldstein, the under secretary for public diplomacy and public affairs, said no-one in the embassy was injured.

A guard at a nearby sports centre told the AFP news agency he "heard two explosions, one after another".

He added: "Police came very quickly and the body of a man was taken away."

Montenegro, the smallest of all former Yugoslav republics, is home to about  630,000 people. It joined Nato in May last year, the 29th country to do so. The US established diplomatic ties with the tiny Balkan state in 2006 after it split from Serbia.