A suicide bomber killed 20 people and wounded dozens on Saturday at a political rally in the Iraqi city of Baqouba, officials said.
The bomber detonated his explosives as Muthana al-Jourani, a Sunni candidate for the provincial council, was hosting lunch for supporters in a large hospitality tent pitched next to his house, councilman Sadiq al-Huseini said.
Baqouba, a mixed Sunni-Shiite city some 60 kilometers (35 miles) northeast of Baghdad, has been a focus of insurgent attacks and sectarian conflict in the decade since the 2003 US-led invasion. Violence is expected to surge in the lead up to Iraq’s provincial elections on April 20.
A health official and police officer who provided details about the attack spoke anonymously because they weren’t authorized to speak to media.
The police officer said al-Jourani, who was injured in the attack, had not requested any extra security for the political event. Eyewitness Ahmad al-Hadlouj, a 34-year-old who was wounded in the blast, said hundreds of people had gathered in the side street for the rally. His father, a member of the candidate’s political bloc, was also wounded.