Suicide car bomb in Tikrit: 24 people killed and 70 injured

At least 24 people were killed and over 70 injured when a suicide car bomb exploded at a crowded market near a police station in the Iraqi town of &to=http:// english.pravda.ru/hotspots/2003/03/26/45079.html ' target=_blank>Tikrit.

Tikrit - a predominately Sunni city about 130 km (80 miles) north of Baghdad - is a home town of ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. The blast came a day after a major bomb attack in Baghdad and a seizure of the governor of the western &to=http:// english.pravda.ru/war/2003/04/01/45424.html ' target=_blank>Anbar province.

Police Lt. Col. Saad Daham said when security prevented the attacker from exploding the vehicle in front of the station in Tikrit, he swerved into a crowd of people at the nearby market, informs Web India.

According to Xinhuanet, the bombing occurred at 7:15 am (0315 GMT) when security prevented the attacker from exploding the car in front of the police station. He then ran into a crowd of people at a small market nearby, police said.