Palestinian diplomat killed in blast at embassy in Czech Republic died after opening safe that had been closed for 30 years, setting off explosives kept inside

Jamel al-Jamal, 56, suffered fatal injuries in explosion at home in Prague

Door of safe was apparently booby-trapped but no foul play is suspected

Came from building used by Palestinian Liberation Organisation in 1980s

PLO had close ties with Eastern bloc countries before fall of Soviet Union



Died: Jamal Al Jamale 56, died this afternoon following the blast

A Palestinian ambassador was killed when an office safe that had been sealed for at least 30 years exploded when he opened it.



Ambassador Jamel al-Jamal, 56, was at home with his wife in the capital, Prague, at the time of the explosion, according to Palestinian Embassy spokesman Nabil El-Fahel.



The 56-year-old became the ambassador to the Czech Republic only two months ago.

Police said an explosive device might have been part of a security mechanism.

Mr al-Jamal was seriously injured and died in hospital.



Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki said no foul play was suspected, noting that the safe hadn’t been opened in at least 30 years.



It also appeared that the door of the safe had been booby-trapped, according to police spokeswoman Andrea Zoulova



It was unclear how Mr al-Jamal tried to open it or what type of safe it was.



The safe was recently moved from the old embassy building, but it had come from a building that used to house the Palestinian Liberation Organization's (PLO) offices in the 1980s, Malki said.



He added: 'The ambassador decided to open it. He opened it and asked his wife to bring a paper and a pen to write down the contents of the safe.



'She left him to bring (the) pen and paper. During that time, she heard the sound of an explosion.'

He said the ambassador had taken some of the contents out of the safe but it was not immediately clear what was inside.



It was also unclear how soon the explosion happened after he opened the safe.

However, police later confirmed weapons were also discovered in the property. They would not say what kind of weapons or give an idea of quantities.



Scene: The Palestinian ambassador to the Czech Republic died after an explosion at his apartment in Prague

Investigation: Police at the scene of a blast at the residence of Palestine ambassador, Jamal al-Jamal, in Prague During the 1980s - before the fall of the Soviet Union - the PLO had close ties with the Eastern bloc countries. In recent years, relations have been tense and the Czech government was seen as largely taking Israel's side in the Middle East conflict, said Nabil Shaath, a foreign affairs veteran and leading official in Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah movement. The ambassador and his 52-year-old wife were alone in the building at the time because it was a holiday, Mr Malki said.

The diplomat's wife, who called embassy employees to seek help, was treated for shock at the hospital but released. She was not immediately named. Ms Zoulova said police were searching the apartment but declined further comment. Martin Cervicek, the country's top police officer, told Czech public television that nothing was immediately found to suggest that Mr al-Jamal had been a victim of a crime. Prague rescue service spokeswoman Jirina Ernestova said the ambassador was placed in a medically induced coma when he first arrived at Prague Military Hospital.

Cause: The Palestinian Foreign Ministry said the explosion occurred when the ambassador was moving an old office safe box

It was not immediately clear how the explosives ended up in the safe box, but the ministry said the blast was being investigated Dr Daniel Langer, who works there, told public television that Mr al-Jamal had suffered serious abdominal injuries, as well as injuries to his chest and head. The embassy complex is in the Suchdol area of Prague. The new embassy has not yet opened and the ambassador, who was appointed in October, had spent only two nights in the new residence - also in the new complex. The explosion happened in the ambassador's residence. Mr al-Jamal was born in 1957, in Beirut's Sabra and Shatilla refugee camp. His family is originally from Jaffa in what is now Israel. He joined Fatah in 1975. In 1979, he was appointed deputy ambassador in Bulgaria. Starting in 1984, he served as a diplomat in Prague, eventually as acting ambassador.

From 2005-2013, he served as consul general in Alexandria, Egypt. In October 2013, he was appointed ambassador in Prague.







