Bomb Goes Off Under Car in Czech Capital

A bomb targeting a casino owner exploded under a car on a busy restaurant street in the Czech capital Sunday, injuring at least 18 people, including foreign tourists, in what authorities described as a probable gangland attack. Two Americans, as well as tourists from Britain, Ireland, Cyprus, Bulgaria and Slovakia, were among those hurt in the blast, which Czech Prime Minister Stanislav Gross described in a radio interview as "a case of gangs settling accounts." Among those hurt was a child, but all of the injuries appeared to be slight, said Marek Uhlir, spokesman for Prague's emergency service, without giving further details. The bomb went off just after noon outside the Casino Royal in a popular pedestrian zone in downtown Prague with many restaurants and cafes, about 100 yards from Prague's central Wenceslas Square. A man threw the explosive device under a car outside a casino shortly after several people got in, police spokeswoman Iva Knolova told The Associated Press. The incident was being investigated as an attempted murder, and authorities have "ruled out" terrorism, she said.