Palestinian ambassador dies in Prague

(Vatican Radio) The Palestinian Foreign Ministry says it will send a delegation to Prague to help investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of the Palestinian ambassador to the Czech Republic, who died Wednesday in an explosion.


Czech investigators say the 56-year-old Jamal al-Jamal was the victim of a blast, which rocked his Prague residence on New Year's Day. The explosion was set off when he opened an old safe that had been left untouched for more than two decades.

After the accident, the diplomat was rushed to hospital, but he later died of his injuries. His 52-year-old wife was shocked but survived unharmed.


The safe reportedly came from a building in Prague, which had been used in the 1980s by the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO).


PLO ATTACKS
The PLO, which had close ties to what was then Czechoslovakia and other Soviet-satellite states, has been linked to attacks in the 1980s.


Yet, Czech officials were quick to point out that the explosive device found in the

Palestinian ambassador's residence may have been part of the safe's security mechanism.


"We are still investigating, but currently believe it was definitely not a terrorist attack," said Czech Police chief Martin Cervicek. "Still, this (explosives) is a thing you shouldn't find at any embassy and we will continue a probe."


Palestinian officials also hope to receive answers about the mysterious blast.


Listen to the report by Stefan Bos: