A grenade thrown from a passing car exploded near a casino in a crowded shopping district at the heart of Prague's historic center on Sunday, but officials said the attack was criminal and not terror-related.
Officials said 18 people were injured, including one child, five Britons and three Irish citizens. A spokesman for the Prague emergency department said four were seriously injured.
"This was not a terrorist attack, it was not a bomb," Prague Deputy Mayor Rudolf Blazek told reporters at the scene.
The pedestrian district was teeming with thousands of tourists enjoying a sunny afternoon in the area, which is home to nearby historic sites such as Wenceslas Square and the Estates Theatre where Mozart's opera Don Giovanni premiered.
Blazek said that the blast occurred near a casino, and may have been a robbery attempt as an armored security vehicle was parked by the Israeli-owned Royal Casino.
He added that the damage was limited because the grenade rolled under a parked car.
Israeli media reported the blast might have been a warning to the Israeli family that runs the Royal Casino or a possible assassination attempt, and said Israeli police were helping with the investigation. Police in Jerusalem declined to comment.
The British Foreign Office said that five UK nationals were among the injured.
"British embassy officials are visiting the hospitals where they are being treated," a spokesman said.
The spokesman could not give the nature of their injuries.
The Irish Department of Foreign Affairs said that three Irish nationals had suffered minor injuries.
"They have since been released from hospital," a spokeswoman in Dublin said.
A reporter at the scene said there was little collateral damage to buildings in the immediate area.
Czech Prime Minister Stanislav Gross toured the blast area and said that "for citizens it is important to realize that this was a criminal act related to the underworld."
Czech police have been on high alert for many months, fearing the country may be a target for a terrorist attack.
The ex-communist Czech Republic, a country of around 10 million people, has been a member of NATO since 1999. It has sent around 90 troops to Iraq as part of the US-led coalition there.
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