An envelope bomb has exploded in the face of a worker at the International Monetary Fund's Paris office this morning.
A female IMF secretary suffered head and hand injuries in the blast, and damage to her eardrum.
IMF chief Christine Lagarde has branded the attack a 'cowardly act of violence'.
Paris police chief Michel Cadot revealed that IMF staff have received a number of threatening calls in recent days.
It comes after Greek radicals this week claimed responsibility for a parcel bomb that was sent to Germany's finance minister, Wolfgang Schaeuble.
French police are investigating a possible link between the Greek group and today’s attack in Paris.
France is currently in a state of emergency after a string of deadly Islamic extremist attacks over the past two years.
The explosive device ‘exploded in the face of a member of the IMF’s clerical staff’, said a police source.
He said the employee suffered head and hand injuries and was receiving medical treatment.
French President Francois Hollande said authorities would do all they could to find those responsible for the attack.
A primitive device constructed around a firecracker, which had been sent in the post, is believed to have caused the explosion.
Around 20 people were evacuated from the highly secure building as a ‘matter of routine’ but hundreds of others in other offices remained, said the source.
Police were searching the area where the device went off, and also the offices of the World Bank, which are in the same building as the IMF.
In a statement, Lagarde said: 'I have been informed about 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.
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French police officers take position after letter bomb exploded at the French office of the International Monetary Fund
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'We are working closely with the French authorities to investigate this incident and ensure the safety of our staff.'
Michel Cadot, the head of Paris police, said 'three people were present' when the explosion happened 'just before midday'.
He said the device 'was not a bomb', but a 'big firecracker' that had been turned into a homemade booby trap.
Mr Cadot said staff at the IMF in Paris had received 'menacing phone calls' over the past few days, but these were nothing out of the ordinary.
As more police and fire crews arrived, a wider evacuation was ordered, as some 150 members of staff began to leave the building, which is close to the Arc de Triomphe.
The parcel containing the device was addressed to the Chief of the European Bureau of the IMF, but was opened by a secretarial assistant, said Mr Cadot.
He said that the assistant was 'being treated for injuries to the face and hand' but they were not life threatening.
It comes after Greek radicals this week claimed responsibility for a parcel bomb that was sent to Germany's finance minister, Wolfgang Schaeuble.
The padded envelope had Italian postage stamps, but police were able to diffuse the device.
The
Conspiracy of Fire Cell group said in a statement: ‘We still have the
rage. We sent the package to Germany's finance minister as part of the
second act of the Nemesis Plan. Nothing is over, everything continues.’
Nine
suspected members of the armed anarchist group are currently on trial
at a court set up inside Korydallos prison, for their alleged role in
bombings and other attacks.
The group
has claimed responsibility for a spate of parcel bombings last November
that targeted embassies and even reached the office of German Chancellor
Angela Merkel.
Police
in Berlin said yesterday: 'The first investigation results show that
the package contained a so-called explosives mixture, which is
frequently used to produce pyrotechnics.
'It was designed to cause considerable injuries when the package was opened.'
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