Police in Montenegro said they are “working intensely” to identify a man who threw an explosive device into the US embassy compound in the capital, Podgorica, before killing himself.

Officials said the attacker threw a bomb into the embassy yard and then committed suicide by activating another one at around midnight on Wednesday.

The blast created a crater but caused no other material damage to the embassy property, they said.

Montenegro US Embassy
Police block off the area around the US embassy in Podgorica after the attack (Risto Bozovic/AP)

Police sealed off the area around the embassy after the explosion.

Officers went to the scene after receiving reports about an explosion and found the body of a man in the area of the Moraca river which runs through Podgorica.

The US State Department has said embassy officials are working with police to identify the attacker and internally to confirm all staff are safe.

Montenegro US Embassy
The US embassy compound in Montenegro’s capital, Podgorica (Risto Bozovic/AP)

Montenegro borders the Adriatic Sea in south-eastern Europe. It joined Nato last year despite strong opposition from its traditional Slavic ally Russia.

Several people, including two Russian secret service operatives, are on trial in Podgorica on charges that they wanted to overthrow Montenegro’s government in 2016 because of its pro-Western policies.

The US established diplomatic ties with the tiny Balkan state in 2006 after it split from much larger Serbia.