A bomb today exploded outside a casino in the Czech Republic capital of Prague, wounding at least 18 people, many of them foreign tourists, authorities said.
Three Irish men and five British were believed to be among the injured.
At least two of the Britons and the three Irish men were sitting together at a cafe in the centre of the historic city when the explosion went off. All eight were taken to hospital, but none of the injuries was thought to be life-threatening.
The bomb went off at about 12.30 p.m. (11.30 a.m. Irish time) in a popular pedestrian zone in downtown Prague where there are many restaurants and cafes.
The injured also included tourists fom the United States, Germany and Slovakia, Czech officials said.
"We can rule out it was a terrorist attack," police spokeswoman Iva Knolova said. "It was a criminal act," she said. She refused to elaborate.
The bomb attack likely targeted the owner of the Casino Royal, a police officer at the scene said on condition of anonymity. It is unclear if a car bomb was detonated or hand grenades were the source of the blast.
The area was cordoned off and police were investigating the incident.
All of the injuries appeared to be slight, said Mr Marek Uhlir, spokesman for Prague's emergency service. He said a child was among them.
The injured were taken to four hospitals in Prague for treatment, he said. He had no other details.
A spokeswoman from Motole Hospital, one of the biggest hospitals in Prague, said they had admitted two Britons and an Irish man at about 1 p.m. local time.
She said: "They were brought in immediately after the explosion happened. The surgeon is with them and has made an examination and carried out X-rays."
The spokeswoman said the British man sustained a neck injury, the woman suffered a finger injury, while the Irish man hurt his ankle.
"I have spoken to all three and they are okay - they are just shocked," she said. All three were thought to be in their mid-20s, the spokeswoman added.
A spokeswoman from the Irish embassy in Prague said they were not aware of any citizens involved in the blast, but were making inquiries.