GAZA CITY, Oct 12 (AFP) - A car bomb exploded outside Palestinian security headquarters in Gaza City late Tuesday in what witnesses said appeared to be an assassination attempt against a top security official.
A car parked on the roadside blew up just as the convoy of Musa Arafat, head of general security in the Gaza Strip, was pulling out of the compound in the centre of Gaza City, witnesses said.
Thick smoke filled the air from the burning remains of the gutted car, while one person was lightly injured by shrapnel, witnesses and medical sources said.
Palestinian sources said they believed the attack was the result of internal unrest in Gaza, and did not involve Israel, which has been conducting a massive military offensive in the northern Gaza Strip that has killed more than 110 people.
There was no immediate comment from Palestinian security officials who sealed off the area to carry out an investigation into the explosion.
An Israeli military source denied any involvement, saying the blast "was not related to any IDF (Israel Defence Forces) activity".
Musa Arafat, a nephew of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, was appointed head of the Palestinian general security service in July, prompting angry outbursts from militant groups who branded him a symbol of corruption and warned the controversial appointment would lead to "internal conflict".
Following his appointment, thousands of angry Palestinians took to the streets in protest while members of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, an armed faction loyal to the Palestinian leader torched military intelligence offices.
"This is a clear message to the corrupt Musa Arafat that we will not allow his appointment to pass and that he should resign," the Brigades said in a statement at the time.
The Gaza Strip, which has been occupied by Israeli since 1967, is one of the most densely populated places on earth, has been plagued by lawlessness.