Source: Syrian Interior Minister Wounded in Bombing

Syrian Interior Minister Mohammed Ibrahim al-Shaar was wounded in a deadly bomb attack targeting his ministry on Wednesday but his condition is not serious, a security source told Agence France Presse.

"He was wounded in the shoulder when the ceiling fell in his office," the source said on Thursday, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"He was taken to hospital but his condition gives no cause for concern and he should be discharged rapidly."

The triple bombing, using a booby-trapped car and two other devices, was made possible by a betrayal within the ministry's own protection service, the source said.

"It is impossible to get near the ministry gate except in an official vehicle," he added.

The attack killed five people and wounded 23, the state SANA news agency reported.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said nine people were killed.

It is the second time that the interior minister has been wounded in an attack.

Shaar narrowly escaped being killed in a spectacular July 18 bombing that claimed the lives of four other top security officials, including the defense minister and the brother-in-law of President Bashar Assad.