| The mayor of Kiev said Tuesday that a blast that ripped through a city courthouse and injured 11 people was caused by a bomb, not a gas explosion, as officials had claimed. Oleksandr Omelchenko said "criminal structures" had planted an explosive in a toilet, blowing a wide hole in the three-story Darnitsia district court building just before noon Monday, said the mayor’s spokesman, Serhiy Soshin. Omelchenko said the criminals had previously threatened court officials, but police could not confirm that claim. Police are investigating two potential causes of the explosion -- ignition of "highly inflammable materials" during repairs and a bomb, a duty officer said. Eleven people were hospitalized, two of them in critical condition, and the building was evacuated. No judges were among the six court employees and five visitors injured in the blast. |