A suicide bomber targeted the Baghdad offices of Saudi Arabian-owned Al-Arabiya television, killing four people, an army spokesman said.
Scores were wounded when the bomber detonated his vehicle, said the spokesman for the Baghdad Military Command. Among those wounded was Salam Al-Zubaie, a member of Iraqiya, a secular political party that won the most seats in March 7th parliamentary elections. It has accused the government of ignoring demands for tighter security.
The bombing took place in the Harithiya neighbourhood in western Baghdad, where many politicians reside including Mr Zubaie and Iraqiya leader Ayad Allawi.
The suicide bomber drove his explosives-laden vehicle across several checkpoints in the heavily secured Harithiya neighbourhood, the army spokesman said. Iraqi forces have identified the bomber, he said, adding they have documents proving that al-Qaeda was plotting to attack Al-Arabiya, he said, without elaborating.
Arabiya said today it shut down its Baghdad offices briefly last month after receiving threats of an al-Qaeda attack.
Arabiya showed footage of its bombed-out offices and said the dead included a cleaning woman. No journalists were killed, it said. Arabiya, a unit of Middle East Broadcasting Corp, has lost several journalists and employees since the outbreak of violence following the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq.
The station had to change locations in Baghdad, especially after the 2004 bombing that totally destroyed its previous offices in the Mansour neighbourhood, it said.
Violence in Iraq has grown after the March 7th parliamentary elections produced no clear winner, although attacks have not reached the levels of 2006-2007, when the country tipped toward civil war.
The United States is preparing to scale back its military force in Iraq from about 90,000 to 50,000 by the end of August, with a complete withdrawal of combat troops next year.
Reuters