COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Jan 3, SPA -- Five people suspected of workingfor the Tamil Tiger rebels were killed in northeastern SriLanka when their grenades exploded before they could hurlthem at a troop convoy, the military said Tuesday. But the rebels blamed the Sri Lankan military for Monday'sincident in the port city of Trincomalee, according to a report of the Associated Press. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam said on its Web sitethat "a grenade was lobbed from an auto (motorizedrickshaw) that drove past" the group of rebels. Quoting witnesses, the Tigers said after the grenadeattack "the auto drove toward the Trincomalee Fort, wherea Sri Lankan army camp is situated." Five Tamil students were killed by "Sri Lankan SpecialForces," the Web site said without elaborating. Military spokesman Brig. Prasad Samarasinghe said it was abotched attack on an army patrol carried out by Tamilcivilians who had been trained by the rebels "to attackmilitary targets." Five of the seven alleged attackers died on the spot andthe other two were wounded, Samarasinghe said. They hadbeen sitting a few meters (yards) from a road frequented bymilitary vehicles, he said. Investigators found a live grenade and the pin of thegrenade that exploded at the blast site, suggesting thatthe grenade had not been thrown, he said. The rebels said all of the victims were under 20 and thatall schools and colleges in the region were closed toprotest the deaths. There was no independent account of what happened.--SPA 15 12 Local Time 12 12 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/316556