Palestinian ambassador killed by explosion at Prague residence

The Palestinian ambassador to Prague was killed yesterday in a blast at his residence that Czech police said appeared to be an accident caused by explosives detonated when the diplomat opened a safe.

“There is nothing suggesting that a terrorist act was committed,” spokeswoman Andrea Zoulova told reporters after ambassador Jamal al- Jamal died in hospital following the incident at his home yesterday morning.

Among possible causes, she said, were that an explosive device, which might have been part of a security mechanism on the safe, went off for no clear reason or due to mishandling.

Mr Jamal had taken up his post only in October.

The official Palestinian news agency Wafa, citing a Foreign Ministry statement, said the blast happened when Mr Jamal (56) tried to open a safe that had been moved from the embassy’s old offices.

Czech police spokeswoman Ms Zoulova said: “The possibilities include inexpert handling of an explosive device or its spontaneous detonation . . .

“The device was in a safe and was triggered after the door of the safe was opened. The police are not ruling out that the device was a part of the safe.”

Some safes can be fitted with small charges to destroy secret documents in the event of the lock being tampered with. However, Czech police appeared to leave open the possibility the diplomatic mission might have been storing explosives.

No one else was injured in the explosion, police said, although Mr Jamal’s family was at home in the two-storey suburban residence. No signs of damage to the house was visible outside.

The Palestinian foreign ministry said it would send a team to Prague “to help with the investigation”. – (Reuters)