February 02, 2008	Saturday	Muharram 23, 1429

NOUAKCHOTT (Mauritania): Unidentified gunmen opened fire early on Friday at the Israeli embassy in Mauritania, injuring three bystanders, authorities and witnesses said, amid pressure on Nouakchott to cut ties with Tel-Aviv.

Israel condemned the attack, the first of its kind of its embassy in Mauritania, as “act of terrorism”.

Boaz Bismuth, its ambassador there, said “shots were aimed at our embassy from the street” but no staff had been hurt.

Nouakchott's governor, Mohamed Lemine Ould Moulay Zeine, said the overnight attack by at least three gunmen had wounded three French nationals.

Communications Minister Mohamed Vall Ould Cheikh said that three men in a car had carried out the shooting.

The attack took place shortly after 2:00 am (0200 GMT), and those wounded were outside a nightclub the VIP, a few metres from the embassy.—AFP