Iraq Arrests Suspects behind Car Bombing in Diyala
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iraqi security forces have arrested those linked with a deadly terrorist car bombing that killed 120 people in Khan Bani Saad in the province of Diyala on Friday, a minister said.
Iraq’s Interior Minister Muhammad al-Ghaban announced on Sunday that suspects linked with the suicide attack have been captured, according to Iraqi TV.
Back on Friday, at least 115 adults and children were killed when a car bomb exploded in a busy market in Khan Bani Saad, a mostly Shiite town about 35 kilometers (21 miles) north of Baghdad.
The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) terrorist group claimed responsibility on Twitter for the bombing.
People were celebrating the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan when the explosive-laden vehicle went off, marking one of the single deadliest acts of terror the notorious group has claimed.
The blast brought down several buildings in the city.
By Saturday, the death toll had risen to 120, according to Muthana al Tamimi, governor of Diyala province. But with 140 more wounded in the blast, the number may go up.
The suicide car bomber was carrying around three tons of explosives in a truck, offering a discount for sale of ice as a trap to lure more people.
The United Nations said earlier this week that nearly 15,000 people had been killed and 30,000 wounded in the conflict in Iraq during 16 months ending April 30.