IMF letter bomb, school shooting set France on terror alert
- A secretary in the IMF office suffered the brunt of the letter bomb explosion
- Later in the day a 17-year-old student opened fire in a school in southern France
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According to news reports a secretary in the International Monetary Fund Office building near the Arc de Triomphe monument, Â opened an envelope and was injured as the letter exploded. She was hit in the face by shrapnel and hurt in the eardrum because of a "rather violent noise", the chief of police said.
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Several people were evacuated from the building 'as a precaution', a police source said. The IMF building is right next to the World Bank building and police have now cordoned off the area as they are looking for the suspects.
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In hindsight, the report talks of police chief Michel Cadot mentioning a threatening phone call that came to the IMF a few days ago, but no connections are being drawn at this point.
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The Police chief has revealed that it was some kind of homemade explosive.
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France remains in a state of emergency after a string of deadly Islamic extremist attacks over the past two years.
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Incidentally, this kind of scare is taking place just six weeks before France prepares itself for a Presidential election. Earlier in the  week the German finance minister was also sent a suspicious package containing explosives similar to those used in fireworks. It was destroyed in a controlled explosion by explosives experts.
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Then later in the day, according to report in the , a 17-year-old student opened fire in a school in southern France. A head teacher and another individual are said to have been injured after the gun-toting student opened fire at the Alexis de Tocqueville School in Grasse.