News

Sat, 16 Jan 2010 22:37:28 GMT

An improvised explosive device (IED) was
detonated near the office of Khorasan Razavi Province's governor
general, leaving one person dead.

The bomber apparently detonated his explosives late on Saturday
after security forces detected something suspicious about him and moved
in his direction.

"A man detonated an IED at around 8 p.m. local time (1630 GMT) in
downtown Mashhad after he came under suspicion by law enforcement
officers patrolling the neighborhood," Fars news agency quoted the
police and security chief of Khorasan Razavi Province, Amirullah
Shamaghdari, as saying late on Saturday.

The attacker was critically injured in the explosion and was taken
to hospital, where he died hours later.

Shamaghdari said no one else was injured in the blast, adding that
the incident did not cause any damages.

The police have launched an investigation into the incident as the
motive behind the attack remains unknown. No group has so far claimed
responsibility for the incident.

Earlier reports had suggested that a "sound bomb" targeted the
governor general's office.

SF/MD/MP/MMN