Assassin intercepted in Kabul

An assassin was intercepted in the Afghan capital Kabul when his car, loaded with explosives, was involved in a traffic accident.

The man had planned to crash his car into a vehicle or vehicles carrying members of the national leadership, said the Afghan intelligence service.

It was the latest episode in a series of killings and security incidents involving the transitional political leadership in Kabul.

An Afghan TV report was accompanied by video of the man’s Toyota Corolla, whose door panels were exposed to show yellow blocks of what the intelligence service statement said was explosives.

The report also showed a photo of the suspect, a heavily bearded young man in a vest and open shirt.

His dress and appearance seemed Afghan or Pakistani, but the government statement said he was a foreigner and the plan was developed abroad.

It did not identify him further, however, nor did it say whether any accomplices were taken into custody, or explain how the explosives were uncovered after the accident.

The suspect, said to have been injured in the accident, was taken to the intelligence service’s offices for further interrogation, the statement said.

"International terrorism once again is showing its face," it said. "The enemies of Afghanistan are not sitting quietly. They’re conspiring to conduct terrorist operations."

Just three weeks ago, two gunmen assassinated Abdul Qadir, a new Afghan vice president and Cabinet minister, the second government minister to be killed this year.

The aviation and tourism minister, Abdul Rahman, was beaten to death in February at Kabul airport. Neither murder has been solved.

Last week, because of rising security fears following the Qadir killing, President Hamid Karzai sidelined his Afghan bodyguards and called in US troops to replace them.

Diplomats said the move followed "serious threats" against Karzai, some believed to have come from within his own Cabinet.