Syria courthouse suicide bomb attack: At least 25 dead, police say
Syrian blast
State media reported that?the attacker targeted the Palace of Justice, a courthouse in central Damascus
AFP reported that police say that 25 people have been killed in a suicide bomb attack at a courthouse in Damascus.
The attack targeted the Palace of Justice in central Damascus near the Old City, Reuters reported. State news agency SANA said several others were wounded in addition to the initial death toll of 25. The bomber set off his explosive device at 1:20pm(1120 GMT) as the police tried to search him and stop him from entering the building, state television cited the Damascus police chief as saying.
The explosion hit the courthouse "at a time when the area is crowded" with lawyers, judges and civilians, harming a large number of people, Ahmed al-Sayyid, a senior state legal official told state-run al-Ikhbariya TV.
The attack comes close on the heels of twinbombingsthat took place lastSaturday in Damascus, which killed 74. The double suicide attack in Damascus was claimed by an alliance of jihadist groups known as Tahrir al-Sham.
(WION with inputs from agencies)