ALGIERS, Algeria (AP) — A police official in Algeria says a man wearing an explosives belt has killed two policemen while attacking a local police headquarters in western Algeria but failed to detonate his bomb.

Tahar Benslimane told a local radio station that a 23-year-old man fired at police officers guarding the headquarters in the city of Tiaret on Thursday as he tried to enter the building and set off his explosive device.

Benslimane said that one of the policemen had time to shoot back and kill the attacker before dying himself from his wounds. Another policeman was killed.

The official said the policeman's efforts "managed to avoid a carnage" by preventing the suicide bomber from entering the police headquarters.

The Algerian news agency APS confirmed that two policemen were killed in the attack.