Police block off the area around the U.S. Embassy in Montenegro's capital Podgorica, Thursday, Feb. 22, 2018. Montenegro says an attacker threw a grenade at the U.S. Embassy in the capital of the Balkan... (Associated Press) 
 
 Police block off the area around the U.S. Embassy in Montenegro's capital Podgorica, Thursday, Feb. 22, 2018. Montenegro says an attacker threw a grenade at the U.S. Embassy in the capital of the Balkan state then killed himself with another explosive device. (AP Photo/Risto Bozovic) (Associated Press) 
 
 PODGORICA, Montenegro (AP) — An attacker threw a hand grenade at the U.S. Embassy in Montenegro's capital and then killed himself with another explosive device, the government here said Thursday. 
 
 No one else apparently was hurt and there was no major damage. Police sealed off the area after the blasts around midnight (2300 GMT Wednesday). 
 
 The U.S. State Department said embassy officials were working with police to identify the assailant and was working internally to confirm all staff are safe. 
 
 Montenegro borders the Adriatic Sea in southeastern Europe and its capital is Podgorica. 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 U.S. established diplomatic ties with the tiny Balkan state in 2006 after it split from much larger Serbia. 
 
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 Associated Press writers Dusan Stojanovic in Belgrade, Serbia, and Josh Lederman in Washington contributed to this report. ||||| Hand Grenade Thrown At U.S. Embassy In Montenegro; Attacker Killed 
 
 Enlarge this image toggle caption Risto Bozovic/AP Risto Bozovic/AP 
 
 Updated at 7:20 a.m. ET 
 
 In the Balkan state of Montenegro, an unidentified man threw a hand grenade at the U.S. Embassy in the capital before then killing himself with another explosive, according to The Associated Press. 
 
 The building in Podgorica was not damaged and no one else was injured, according to a State Department spokesman. 
 
 The motive for the attack is not known, and it is also not known whether it was meant to be a suicide attack. 
 
 Officials at the embassy advised U.S. citizens to avoid the area until further notice. 
 
 The attack happened around midnight local time while the offices were closed for the night. 
 
 Police in Montenegro issued a statement on Thursday saying they are "working intensely" to identify the assailant. The blast created a crater on embassy property but caused no major damage. 
 
 Local employees have been asked to stay home as a precaution while a security review is conducted. 
 
 Montenegro is located in southeastern Europe and was once part of Yugoslavia. 
 
 The U.S. established diplomatic ties with the tiny nation in 2006 after it split from much larger Serbia. 
 
 In August, Vice President Pence visited Montenegro as part of a Balkan state visit. At that time, Montenegro had recently joined NATO. 
 
 NATO's eastward expansion, from its onetime Cold War boundaries into the nations that once were part of the Soviet Union, is a huge frustration for Russia. ||||| ZAGREB, Croatia — A man threw an explosive device onto the grounds of the United States Embassy in Montenegro, doing only minor damage, and then killed himself with another explosive, the Montenegrin police said on Thursday. 
 
 Officers have not determined a motive for the attack in Podgorica, the capital, but they have identified the bomber through DNA testing, said Enis Bakovic, deputy director of the national police. Speaking at a news conference, Mr. Bakovic referred to the man by his initials, D. J., in keeping with the practice of withholding a suspect’s name while an investigation is underway. 
 
 He said that the assailant was a citizen of Montenegro who was born in 1976 in the town of Kraljevo, in neighboring Serbia, and that he had no criminal record. 
 
 The Associated Press and news outlets in Serbia identified the man as Dalibor Jaukovic, a former soldier in the army of Yugoslavia.
– The offices at the US Embassy in Montenegro were closed for the night late Wednesday when the attack occurred: An unidentified man threw a grenade over the compound's wall and then took his own life using a second explosive device, reports the AP. He was the only casualty, and NPR reports no motive has been disclosed, nor is it clear if the intention was to carry out a suicide attack. A State Department rep says the building, located in the capital city of Podgorica, was not affected, with Radio Free Europe reporting the damage was limited to a crater caused by the explosive. Americans have been warned to steer clear of the embassy until further notice. The New York Times calls Montenegro "one of the world's youngest nations": It was once part of Yugoslavia and declared its independence from Serbia in 2006.