U.S. Embassy Blast in Kuwait Linked to Gas, Not Terrorism
KUWAIT — A leaking gas cylinder exploded in the U.S. Embassy compound here Tuesday and started a small fire, an embassy officer said, adding that the incident was not linked to sabotage or terrorism.
The officer said there was no damage to the building or casualties.
He said the cylinder blew up when construction workers were loading acetylene onto a truck, setting two other cylinders ablaze.
“We, the embassy, consider it an accidental explosion related to construction activity going on at the embassy,†the officer, whose name could not be used under embassy rules, said. “It was not an act of terrorism. No one was hurt in the blast and the fire.â€
The U.S. Embassy compound in Kuwait was bombed in December, 1983, along with the French Embassy and other buildings in this Persian Gulf emirate. Six people were killed and 60 were wounded in the attacks, blamed on pro-Iranian Shia Muslims.
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