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| Explosion at US embassy in Montenegro | Explosion at US embassy in Montenegro |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| There has been an explosion at the US embassy in Montenegro, officials say. | There has been an explosion at the US embassy in Montenegro, officials say. |
| An attacker threw an explosive device into the compound in the capital Podgorica at around midnight (23:00 GMT), before killing himself, the government announced. | An attacker threw an explosive device into the compound in the capital Podgorica at around midnight (23:00 GMT), before killing himself, the government announced. |
| Local media have named a Serbian-born local resident as a suspect, but this is unconfirmed by authorities. | Local media have named a Serbian-born local resident as a suspect, but this is unconfirmed by authorities. |
| The government said the device thrown was likely a hand grenade. No other injuries have been reported. | The government said the device thrown was likely a hand grenade. No other injuries have been reported. |
| The US embassy said all staff were safe following the incident. | |
| No-one has said what the motive could be. | |
| The BBC's correspondent Guy Delauney says many people in the Balkans still have weapons like the hand grenade said to have been used in the attack - a legacy of the wars in the 1990s. | The BBC's correspondent Guy Delauney says many people in the Balkans still have weapons like the hand grenade said to have been used in the attack - a legacy of the wars in the 1990s. |
| The embassy and surrounding streets remain closed. But people working nearby say the police presence is small and the overall atmosphere in the city is calm. | The embassy and surrounding streets remain closed. But people working nearby say the police presence is small and the overall atmosphere in the city is calm. |
| Montenegro, home to about 630,000 people, became independent in 2006 - one of several new countries formed after the dissolution of the former Yugoslavia. | Montenegro, home to about 630,000 people, became independent in 2006 - one of several new countries formed after the dissolution of the former Yugoslavia. |
| However, the country has faced recent instability. In 2016, anger over attempts to join Nato, coupled with opposition claims of corruption against the then-prime minister, sparked mass protests ahead of a general election. | |
| Many Montenegrins resent the alliance bombing their country and Serbia in 1999 in a bid to end the killing of ethnic Albanians in Kosovo. | |
| On the day of the election itself, the government arrested a group of men for allegedly plotting to murder Mr Djukanovic and to launch a coup to prevent the Nato membership bid. | |
| Montenegro has charged 14 men for the coup attempt. Two Russians among them remain at large. | |
| Russia has denied any involvement in the incident. The country vocally opposed Montenegro joining Nato before it became the alliance's 29th member in June 2017. | |
| The West and Russia are vying for influence in the Balkans, and earlier this month the EU released plans to extend membership to Balkan countries in the near future. |