  We present an analysis of a recent XMM-Newton observation of Sgr A East, a
supernova remnant located close to the Galactic Centre. Very high quality X-ray
spectra reveal many emission lines from highly ionized atoms consistent with a
multi-temperature thin thermal plasma in ionization equilibrium. We use a
two-temperature model to fit the spectra and derive temperatures of 1 keV and 4
keV. There is significant concentration of iron towards the centre of the X-ray
source such that the iron abundance varies from ~4 times solar in the core down
to ~0.5 solar in the outer regions, which contrasts with the rather uniform
distribution of other metals such as sulfur, argon and calcium, which have
abundances in the range 1--3. The derived total energy, mass, and the abundance
pattern are consistent with a single supernova event, either of type-Ia or
type-II origin, involving a relatively low-mass progenitor star. A weak 6.4-keV
neutral iron fluorescence line is also detected, the illumination source most
likely being Sgr A East itself. The morphology and spectral characteristics of
Sgr A East show no clear linkage to putative past activity in Sgr A*.
