JERUSALEM, (Reuters) – A car exploded in a town south of the coastal city of Tel Aviv on Friday, killing one person and wounding six others, Israeli rescue and ambulance services said.

The Israeli police said the explosion was a criminal act and was not a politically motivated bombing.

“I can confirm the background to the attack was criminal,” police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said.

The blast occurred in the town of Rishon le-Tsiyon, about 10 km (6 miles) south of Tel Aviv. The Zaka rescue service said the dead person was an Israeli citizen, but gave no other details. It said six bystanders were wounded by the blast.

Fire-fighters were quickly at the scene to extinguish the blazing vehicle, television pictures showed.

Israel has sharply stepped up security throughout the country and in the occupied West Bank in recent days, in the run up to the Yom Kippur holiday, which falls on Oct. 1.