Man dies in car blast near Italian synagogue

A car exploded near a synagogue in the northern Italian city of Modena early this morning, killing the occupant.

A car exploded near a synagogue in the northern Italian city of Modena early this morning, killing the occupant.

Police said it appeared the incident was a suicide and not necessarily a terrorist attack but authorities are still investigating.

The man set himself on fire, and when police approached to put out the flames, the car, which ran on flammable liquid propane gas, exploded, said police in Modena.

Various reports from Modena said the man was either Jordanian or Palestinian.

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No other injuries were reported, although the explosion blew out the windows of some buildings, local reports said.

They said the car was on a small, side street near one of the container walls that runs around the synagogue.

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