Palestinian Authority Ambassador Reportedly Killed by Own Explosives

The Palestinian Authority’s ambassador to the Czech Republic has died in an explosion rumored to have come from the mishandling of his own explosives. 

Jamal al-Jamal, 57, apparently opened a safe or container in his house in Prague, and the subsequent explosion mortally wounded him and also sent his wife, 52, to the hospital with shock and smoke inhalation.

Czech police are saying the explosion was due to an “accident” and not an attack. The Guardian reported that an unnamed “Palestinian official” said, “He moved an old case with him to the new house [where the explosion took place – ed.] from the old house. And when he opened it, the explosion happened.”

Czech authorities are tight-lipped about the explosion; police spokeswoman Andrea Zoulova only said, “There was a detonation in the residence of a Palestinian diplomat. The diplomat suffered a serious injury and was taken to hospital. We are investigating the causes.”