Old Plastic Explosives Killed PA Official in Prague Explosion

The mysterious January 1 explosion that killed the new Palestinian Authority ambassador to the Czech Republic was an accident caused by plastic explosives, according to the daily Mlada frontá Dnes (MfD), relying on a “detective close to the investigation.”

Jamal al Jamal was killed after he had moved to the new Palestinian Authority’s office-residence in Prague. Police previously thought the blast occurred but recently discarded that theory.

It now appears that plastic explosives known as Semtex were hidden in a book that Jamal opened, setting off the explosion.

"It was an accident. The diplomat was an honest man who wanted to go through old stuff that included two books with explosives," said detective, whose comments were translated and reported by the English-language Prague Post.

The plastics explosives were made in the country in  the 1970s.

The question remains why they were in the old Palestinian Authority offices for so many years and then moved to the new facility along with all of the other furnishings.

During the investigation, police found 12 unregistered firearms from the 1980s.

Palestinian Authority officials explained the guns were gifts from officials of what used to be communist Czechoslovakia.

And the plastic explosives also were gifts?