Lorn Pavan alerts us to a stunning new development over on the Holonet News about the Senator from Naboo:

Security and medical workers from the nearby Naboo embassy are rushing to the scene to investigate. It is currently believed that Senator Padm? Amidala is among the dead.

As per safety protocols, the cruiser avoided the more heavily trafficked skyroutes as it flew from orbital space into Galactic City. The explosion does not appear to be the result of malfunction, but rather a deliberate bombing. It is too early to conclusively tell, but the explosion appears to have originated from the cruiser and not the landing platform, suggesting sabotage originating from offworld.

Senator Amidala, 24, was arriving on Coruscant to cast her vote in the Military Creation Act. The leader of the opposition against Republic militarization, Amidala had no shortage of enemies wishing to silence her.

More on this tragedy as it develops; paid subscribers to the full-feed edition of HoloNet News will receive round-the-chrono coverage and updates on this developing story.