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Army deserter's grenade injures police in Sri Lanka

From Iqbal Athas, For CNN
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Police bring a man in for questioning after he is caught smoking marijuana
  • He detonates a hand grenade in the station, injuring 16 and killing himself, police say

Colombo, Sri Lanka (CNN) -- A Sri Lankan army deserter killed himself and injured 16 police officers in a grenade explosion, police told CNN Wednesday.

Police had brought the man in for questioning after he was caught smoking marijuana, said a senior police official in the capital, Colombo.

While he was being questioned, he suddenly set off a hand grenade in his possession, injuring 16 officers, two of them critically. The suspect was killed.

The incident took place in the hill resort town of Nuwara Eliya, an area known as "Little England" because of its relatively cool climate and tea plantations.