A 'homemade' letter bomb has exploded in the Paris offices of the International Monetary Fund, injuring a secretary. IMF chief Christine Lagarde has described the incident as a "cowardly act.
The French news agency AFP said an IMF Paris employee suffered burns to her hands and face while opening a letter that exploded.
It quoted a police source as saying that several people had been evacuated from the building "as a precaution."
Police and armed military officers converged on the area, in a chic district of western Paris.
Paris police chief Michel Cadot said the device was homemade, like a "big firecracker."
Police had searched all four floors of the building, Cadot said.
Lararde described the incident as a "cowardly act"
Lagarde: 'Cowardly act'
Visiting Germany, IMF head Christine Lagarde described the incident as a "cowardly act of violence."
The explosion "caused injuries to one of our staff," Lagarde said.
French President Francois Hollande said authorities would do all they could to find those responsible.
Source unclear
It is unclear who sent the letter to the IMF offices in western Paris, near the Arch de Triomphe. The World Bank has offices in France is in the same compound.
The IMF has its headquarters in Washington.
The IMF has its headquarters in Washington.
IMF frontage in Avenue d'lena, near the Arc de Tromphe
France remains in a state of emergency after a string of deadly Islamic extremist attacks over the past two years.
Scare in Berlin
Thursday's Paris incident followed a scare at Germany's finance ministry on Wednesday.
In that case, an explosive-filled envelope was discovered in the ministry's mailroom and defused.
German police said they believed that that letter had been sent from Greece.
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