A suicide bomber targeting a blood drive for victims of recent attacks blew himself up in Kabul on Monday after being spotted by police, officials said, causing no other casualties.

The foiled attack comes exactly a week after a double bombing in the Afghan capital killed 25 people, including AFP chief photographer Shah Marai and eight other journalists.

The latest suicide bomber detonated himself after being spotted and shot at by police in Shar-e-Naw park in the heart of Kabul, police spokesman Hashmat Stanikzai told AFP.

Stanikzai said the bomber had been trying to reach a temporary blood donation centre that had been set up in the park.

“The attacker was killed. There were no other casualties,” he added.

Interior minister Wais Barmak, who is facing questioning in parliament over deteriorating security, confirmed police had thwarted the attack.

“The enemy is changing their tactics every day; we are also trying to adapt and change our tactics,” Barmak told MPs.

The incident came as the death toll from Sunday’s explosion inside a voter registration centre in the eastern province of Khost rose to 17 people, a health official told AFP.

Another 36 were wounded, he added.

The bomb had been placed in a tent being used to register voters on the grounds of a mosque, marking the latest attack on preparations for Afghanistan’s long-delayed legislative elections.

On April 22 a suicide bomber blew himself up outside a voter registration centre in Kabul, killing 60 people and wounding more than 100.

[ad unit=2]