Beirut blasts: 8 killed, 128 wounded

Originally published on February 20, 2014 Sign up for a free trial of News Direct's animated news graphics at http://newsdirect.nma.com.tw/Reuters.... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Twin suicide car bombs killed at least eight people and wounded 128 others in Beirut, Lebanon, on Wednesday (February 19). According to the Daily Star, the two blasts occurred outside the Iranian Cultural Center in a busy Beirut suburb at 9:25 am. The blasts were caused by two vehicles that exploded seconds apart. The area is home to the Iranian and Kuwaiti embassies and several television stations. The Daily Star reported that the first car that exploded was a Mercedes that had a fake license plate and contained 75 kilograms of explosives and shells. The second car, a BMW X5, contained 90 kilograms of shells and was a stolen car from Beirut's southern suburbs on the Airport road. Al-Manar Television reported that a soldier grew suspicious of one of the bombers inside the vehicle and stopped him. The bomber then detonated the car. The two blasts killed eight people, including the two suicide bombers and a soldier. The al-Qaeda-linked group Abdullah Azzam Brigades claimed responsibility for the attacks and said the attacks were a "raid" against the center in retaliation to Hezbollah and Tehran's role in the Syrian war. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Next Media Animation's News Direct service provides daily, high-quality, informative 3D animated news graphics that fill in for missing footage and help viewers understand breaking news stories or in-depth features on science, technology, and health. To subscribe to News Direct or for more info, please visit: http://newsdirect.nma.com.tw/Index.aspx