A brief scare unfolded at Fontvieille’s shopping centre on Sunday evening, according to Monaco-Matin, after customers inside the local McDonald’s reported a suspicious odour and began coughing or experiencing a stinging sensation, prompting a full evacuation of the restaurant.
Around 15 firefighters and officers from the Direction de la Sûreté Publique responded to the scene shortly after 7:30pm, clearing the building immediately while crews swept the premises with detection equipment to check for hazardous substances. The tests ultimately came back clean, finding nothing abnormal.
Six people who reported feeling unwell were assessed behind a police cordon set up outside, though none showed symptoms serious enough to warrant hospitalisation at the Centre Hospitalier Princesse Grace.
Restaurant manager Henri Leizé told Monaco-Matin he believed someone had deliberately released tear gas in the restrooms to cause disruption, adding that while the restaurant had dealt with troublemakers before, this marked the first time tear gas had been involved. Staff were able to reopen and welcome customers back around an hour after the initial evacuation, once the building had been properly aired out.
Monaco’s Prosecutor General’s office confirmed to the outlet that an investigation has since been opened. Investigators currently regard the deliberate release of tear gas as the most likely explanation, with efforts now focused on identifying who was responsible.