A suspect pursued by Lebanese authorities blew himself up as security forces raided his hotel room in central Beirut on Wednesday, sending flames and a dark cloud of black smoke billowing out of the third-floor windows, security officials said.

There was no immediate word on casualties from the explosion, which occurred inside the Duroy Hotel in the Raouche district of Beirut, a well-heeled neighbourhood that borders the Mediterranean Sea.

An official in the general security department said security forces were raiding the hotel when the suspect detonated the explosives in his hotel room. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

Damage appeared to be confined to the third and fourth floors of the hotel. The explosion started a fire on the third floor and fire engines responded to contain the blaze.

Lebanese troops sealed off the area around the hotel as armed gunmen fanned out on the street.

The general security official said the hotel raid was part of ongoing efforts to pursue suspected militants in Lebanon.

The explosion is the second to hit the Lebanese capital in recent days. A suicide bomber blew up his car near an army checkpoint in a predominantly Shiite area of the Lebanese capital on Monday night, killing himself and wounding several people watching a World Cup match in a nearby cafe.

Three days earlier a suicide bomber struck a security checkpoint in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, killing one person and wounding at least 20 others.

(FRANCE 24 with AP and AFP)