A 74-year-old man’s car exploded at 12:30am in Larnaca on Monday morning with early investigations suggesting that it was caused maliciously.

“The explosion was caused by an improvised explosive device, while a plastic container was found which appears to contain flammable material”, the police said in a statement.

According to police, the explosion occurred in the parking lot of a residential building where the car, used exclusively by a 49-year-old woman, had been parked.

The explosion caused minor damage to two other vehicles parked in the parking lot of the apartment building, as well as to the building’s masonry.

Police continue its investigation into the case with further examinations to be carried out by the Larnaca medical examiner’s office.