Syrian prime minister escapes bomb murder bid

Syria’s prime minister escaped an assassination attempt today when a bomb went off near his convoy in the capital, Damascus, state-run TV said.

The report said Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi was unhurt in the attack in the western neighbourhood of Mazzeh but there were a number of casualties.

The attack was not the first targeting a high official in the Syrian capital.

On July 18, a blast at the Syrian national security building in Damascus during a meeting of Cabinet ministers killed the defence minister and his deputy, who was President Bashar Assad’s brother-in-law. That attack also wounded the interior minister.