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May 19, 4:48 PM EDT

Top Libyan official: Benghazi explosion accident

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Top Libyan official: Benghazi explosion accident

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TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) -- Libya's deputy prime minister says an investigation has indicated that a deadly explosion in Benghazi last week was an accident and not an attack.

Awd el-Buraasi told reporters in Tripoli Sunday that military officials do not believe that the blast in a busy area of Benghazi was planned. Three people were killed in the incident.

Benghazi, where Libya's 2011 revolution that ousted Moammar Gadhafi began, has suffered a series of assassinations and attacks on security and diplomatic missions over the past year, including the attack on the U.S. Consulate that killed the ambassador and three others.

El-Buraasi says a special command center has been set up there to oversee security. Notably absent from the operation are militias that provide security in the absence of a strong military or police force.

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