Blast in Israel wounds 3, police suspect criminals

JERUSALEM, Mar 26 (Reuters) An explosion wounded three people in a car in Israel today and police said they suspected the blast was caused by criminals rather than by Palestinian militants.

Israel is on alert, two days ahead of a general election, for possible Palestinian attacks.

''It's apparently criminal,'' police spokesman Oded Sharabi said about the blast in a residential area of Netanya, a town that has been a frequent target of Palestinian suicide bombings.

Police said three people were wounded in the explosion.

REUTERS DKS RN1715