Bomb wrecks forensics HQ in Baghdad; 18 killed

BAGHDAD (AFP) - A suicide attacker blew up his car on Tuesday while racing it at Iraqs forensics headquarters in central Baghdad, killing 18 people, injuring 80 and destroying the building, officials said.
The attack marked another devastating breach of security a day after three huge minibus bombs targeting hotels killed dozens in the Iraqi capital, as violence spirals in Iraq six weeks ahead of general elections. The blast also comes amid heightened tensions following the hanging of Saddam Husseins notorious henchman 'Chemical Ali Hassan al-Majid.
An interior ministry official put the toll from Tuesdays attack at 18 dead - five policemen and 13 civilians - and 80 people injured. Those killed all died in the blast while most of the injured were pulled from underneath the rubble of the building.
The attacker managed to evade tight security in the central neighbourhood of Karrada, where checkpoints are located at all the entrances and police conduct regular security searches. Iraqi military spokesman in Baghdad Major General Qassim Atta said the attack targeted the forensics institute, which has been bombed twice before.
At 10.45 am a suicide bomber raced his vehicle towards the institute and blew it up, said Atta. An interior ministry official said the blast had wrecked the institute.
The building collapsed soon after the explosion. Dozens of people usually work in the (forensics) institute, he said.
The blast came a day after three huge and apparently co-ordinated minibus bombs targeted hotels in Baghdad, killing at least 36 people and wounding 71.
Security concerns raised by this weeks wave of bombings have been aggravated by a controversy over the effectiveness of bomb detection devices bought from a British company and routinely use by Iraqi security forces.