Car Bomb in Baghdad Kills Five People

A car bomb exploded outside the home of a senior Iraqi security official today, killing at least five people and destroying several vehicles, police said.

The blast wounded Abdul-Jabbar Youssef Sheikli, one of three deputy interior ministers and a member of the Shiite Muslim Dawa Party. A ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that Sheikli had head and chest injuries and was in stable condition at a hospital.

Iraqi police and U.S. military officers at the scene said the five killed were four policemen and a female neighbor who had died in her home.

The explosion also knocked down part of a wall.

U.S. Army Capt. Brian O’Malley said it was unclear whether the bomb was detonated by a suicide attacker.

It was the second blast in a week to target a top Iraqi government official. On Monday, a suicide car bombing killed the president of the Iraqi Governing Council, Ezzedine Salim, and several other people near the headquarters of the U.S.-run coalition in the capital.