Palestine sends delegation to Prague over envoy's death

RAMALLAH - Palestinian Foreign Ministry is coordinating with Czech authorities to send a delegation to help investigate into the death of Palestinian ambassador in Prague, a ministry official said on Wednesday.

The ambassador, Jamal Al Jamal, was injured in an explosion in his residence in Prague-Suchdol on Wednesday and died in hospital, announced Czech police spokeswoman Andrea Zoulova.

The Palestinian official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the Palestinian authorities do not rule out that Al Jamal was "killed in a plotted assassination."

According to report by Czech media, the explosion occurred when a safe placed in the ambassador's residence was opened.

The blast could have been caused by an explosive system, a 52- year-old woman was treated on the spot and then taken to the Prague-Motol Hospital on suspicion she inhaled by-product gases and over a stress reaction, according to media reports.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian ministry said in a statement that Al Jamal was "a model of the persistent, successful diplomat serving his homeland and cause."

The 56-year-old ambassador officially assumed the post on October 11, 2013, when he handed his credentials to Czech President Milos Zeman.