Jerusalem: A suicide bomber blew himself up on a bus in Jerusalem today (Jan 29, 2004), killing at least eight bystanders and wounding about 30 in an attack outside Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's official residence, police and paramedics said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility. The explosion coincided with a German-brokered prisoner swap between Israel and the Lebanese guerrilla group Hezbollah. It was not clear whether there was a connection.

The explosion went off just before 9.00 hrs (12.30 hrs IST) in the Rehavia district in downtown Jerusalem, just 15 meters from Sharon's official residence. Sharon was at his farm in Southern Israel at the time, his aides said.