A suicide bomber detonated a belt of explosives on his body near a highly revered Shiite shrine in southern Thursday, killing at least 30 people and injuring 60, an official said. The bomber blew himself up while being patted down by policemen near the Imam Ali mosque in the Shiite holy city of Najaf, said Dr. Munthir al-Ithari, the head of Najaf's health directorate. Witnesses and officials had earlier reported two bomb explosions. Al-Ithari said a second bomb went off, but in a different part of the town. A police official said the second bomb targeted a U.S. military convoy, but caused no injuries, according to a report of the Associated Press.
