Gangsters blamed for Cambodian capital hotel bomb blasts

Three people were killed and at least 12 others injured in bomb explosions that rocked two hotels Phnom Penh, the Cambodian capital, today.

The motive was unclear, with some police officials saying the blasts were a terrorist attack and the Phnom Penh governor describing them as an extortion attempt. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

The first bomb exploded on the first floor of the Hong Kong Hotel, about an hour after police received an anonymous phone call warning of an impending attack.

Five people were injured two construction workers outside the hotel, a woman, a boy and a police officer who was among those searching for the bomb, officials said.

‘‘We were taken totally by surprise. We never expected this kind of attack at hotels. This is the first time this has happened in Phnom Penh,’’ said police commissioner General Suon Chhengly.

The second bomb went off an hour later in the Penhchet Hotel, 130 feet from the earlier blast.

The bomb, which was under a bed in a guest room on the fourth floor, killed a maid and two male employees, said Samut Thoeun, the chief administrator of the Monivong district. He said seven people were injured in the blast.

‘‘This is the biggest terrorist bomb attack’’ that has occurred in Phnom Penh in recent years, said police Colonel Yim Simony.

But the governor of Phnom Penh, Chea Sophara, said the blasts were part of a scheme by gangsters attempting to extort money from hotel operators.

He said that soon after the Hong Kong Hotel blast, an anonymous caller phoned the owner of the Penhchet Hotel and said a bomb would explode in his hotel if he did not hand over £7,000.

‘‘This is about extortion and money, not politics,’’ the governor said.