COLOMBO, July 7: Four police officials were killed and nine seriously injured on Wednesday when a woman LTTE suicide bomber blew herself up in the premises of a police station in Colombo.

Three civilians also sustained critical injuries in the explosion. The attack was targeted at Tamil Affairs Minister Douglas Devananda, who has, in the past weeks, openly spoken in favour of the LTTE's renegade leader, Karuna.

He belongs to the Elam People's Democratic Party (EPDP), the only Tamil party which does not support the LTTE. The woman, Jayarani Thavarasa (20), a resident of Jaffna, had been stopped at the entrance to the ministry in Colombo, where she had come ostensibly to meet Minister Devananda.

"We were suspicious when she refused to undergo the customary security check. The woman detonated the explosives which were strapped to her body in the premises of the nearest police station where we had taken her for questioning," said S. Pathirana, a security official who had initially questioned the suicide bomber and escorted her on suspicion to a police station.

Mr Devananda, who has survived nine earlier attempts on his life, gave a written pledge to President Chandrika Kumaratunga that he would not give up his support to the peace process. Colombo came under heavy security following the incident.