Huge Blast Rocks Beirut

ISF Official among 5 Killed in Beirut Blast

Fri Jan 25, 6:54 PM ET A man runs as fire breaks out at the site of an explosion in Beirut, January 25, 2008. (Mohamed Azakir/Reuters)

At least five people have been killed and scores others were injured in a powerful blast that struck Friday in a Beirut neighborhood. "The blast hit the Furn al-Shebbak neighborhood," a security official said. Initial reports said that the bomb attack targeted a Lebanese Security vehicle. A security source said that Captain Wissan Eid was among the people killed in the blast. Captain Eid is a senior officer in the Information Branch, part of the Internal Security Forces. Other unconfirmed reports said that a senior judge was among the victims, without identifying him. A senior Lebanese security official said Eid was involved in many investigations concerning bombings in Lebanon. Earlier, officials had said that 11 people had died. Flames engulfed cars, trapping several people as firefighters battled to extinguish the fires and security forces cordoned off the Thick black smoke curled into the sky as ambulances rushed to the scene, an area of office buildings and parking lots on a highway leading out of Beirut.