BUCHAREST, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Moldova's Interior Minister Alexandru Jizdan on Tuesday said the store explosion in central Chisinau was not a terrorist attack.

"It is very important to note that this is not an armed attack but an incident," the minister wrote on his social media account.

He added that he had asked the chief of General Police Inspectorate to tighten control of illegal possession of weapons, especially among people with criminal records.

An explosion occurred Tuesday in a convenience store named Jardin in the center of the capital city, killing two people and injuring two others.

Local media reported that the explosion took place at the shop's entrance, when a grenade possessed by a client exploded.

Alexandru Panzari, chief of General Police Inspectorate, said at a press briefing after the blast that there were no signs of a terrorist attack.

According to him, the man entered the store, bought cigarettes packs before approaching the saleswoman. For unknown reasons, the man refused to pay and then from the man's hand or backpack an explosive object fell, which blew up at the store's entrance.

The blast killed the man himself and another man, who was in the street just outside the store, said the police officer.

According to Panzari, the man, 50, was a resident of Chisinau with a criminal record and carried the grenade in his pocket or bag.

It is unclear whether the man deliberately activated the grenade.