An Iranian armed with grenades blew off his own legs and wounded four civilians in a trio of blasts in Bangkok.

The explosions came a day after an Israeli diplomatic car was bombed in India - an attack Israel blamed on Iran. Israel's Foreign Ministry refused to rule out a link between the incidents.

More explosives were found in a house where the Iranian Saeid Moradi was staying in Bangkok. The first blast came when the stash of explosives apparently detonated by accident in the house, blowing off part of the roof. Police said two foreigners quickly left the residence, followed by a wounded Moradi.

"He tried to wave down a taxi, but he was covered in blood, and the driver refused to take him," a spokesman said. He then threw an explosive at the taxi and began running.

Police who had been called to the area then tried to apprehend Moradi, who hurled a grenade to defend himself. "But somehow it bounced back" and blew off his legs, the spokesman said.

Three Thai men and one Thai woman were also hurt by the explosions.

Last month, a Lebanese-Swedish man with alleged links to pro-Iranian Hezbollah militants was detained by Thai police. He led authorities to a warehouse filled with more than 8,800lbs of fertiliser and several gallons of liquid ammonium nitrate.

Israel and the United States at the time warned their citizens to be alert in the capital, but Thai authorities said Thailand appeared to have been a staging ground but not the target of any attack.

Immigration police are trying to trace Moradi's movements, but initial reports indicated he flew into Thailand from Seoul, South Korea on February 8. He landed at the southern Thai resort town of Phuket, then stayed in a hotel in Chonburi, a couple hours drive south-east of Bangkok, for several nights.