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| Iraq |
| 4 killed, 10 injured in Al Arabiya suicide bombing |
| 2010-07-27 |
| [Al Arabiya Latest] Four people were killed and more than 10 others wounded in Baghdad on Monday when a suicide bomber blew up a vehicle by the offices of Al Arabiya, its correspondent in Baghdad and interior ministry officials said. The bomber struck at around 9:30 am (06:30 GMT) in front of the station's bureau in the city center, leaving a massive crater and sending a plume of smoke into the air that could be seen from several kilometers (miles) away. Majid Hamid, a journalist for Al Arabiya, said four people had been killed in the attack -- three security guards and a female office assistant. That toll was confirmed by an official at al-Yarmuk hospital in west Baghdad. An interior ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity said that former deputy prime minister Salam al-Zawbayi and two of his guards were among the wounded. "There was a huge explosion that shook the building -- all the rooms were damaged," Al Arabiya journalist Tareq Maher said in a live broadcast. Maher said he was in the building when the blast occurred, adding that the building sustained heavy damage and the explosion left a massive crater. The street in front of the channel's offices was covered in shards of glass and debris, and nearby buildings showed signs of damage as did several cars. Baghdad security spokesman Major General Qassim Atta said that the explosives-laden vehicle had passed through a checkpoint, and charged that there may have been "cooperation" between the car's driver and the guards. Major General Jihad al-Jaabari, the head of the Iraqi army's explosives handling unit, said the bomber was an Iraqi and added that the vehicle was carrying more than 100 kilograms (220 pounds) of ammonium nitrate. "He was waved through, but if they had searched him, it would have been easy to find the explosive material," Jaabari said. The bomber, who was driving a minibus, was apparently waved through the first checkpoint after security guards checked his identification, Iraqi military spokesman Maj. Gen. Qassim al-Moussawi said. |
| Posted by:Fred |