West Bank bomb kills one, injures three

A suicide car bomb at an Israeli military checkpoint north of Jerusalem has wounded three people.

A second explosion was reported at the same site by rescue services.

However, Israeli officials have said that there was only one blast.

A rescue service spokesman said there were casualties and that a Palestinian was dead.

The blasts went off at the Kalandia checkpoint, one of the busiest in the West Bank. Dozens of ambulances rushed to the scene.

The Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, a violent group with ties to Yasser Arafat’s ruling Fatah movement, claimed responsibility for the attack.

Israel Radio said Israeli security forces went on high alert about an hour before the explosion at the Kalandia checkpoint, located between Jerusalem and the Palestinian commercial centre of Ramallah.

Palestinian security services said the car exploded as it approached the checkpoint, where Israeli soldiers check the identity cards of thousands of Palestinians crossing every day on foot or in cars.

Five other vehicles were damaged in the blast.

Paramedics said three people were wounded, one moderately and two lightly.

A pool of blood was visible on the ground. Firefighters put out a fire in one of the cars and a thick plume of smoke rose into the air.

Dozens of ambulances had raced to the area, but left the scene about a half hour later.

Israeli police and sniffer dogs continued to scour the area for additional explosions.