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Bomb at Damascus Cafe Kills Six and Wounds 22
An improvised explosive device detonated inside a cafe on Al-Nasr Street in central Damascus on Thursday. Syrian state media and authorities reported the casualties and confirmed the device was planted under a table.
AF
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A bomb exploded inside a cafe on Al-Nasr Street in the al-Hijaz area of central Damascus on Thursday, killing six people and wounding 22 others, Syrian state media and authorities reported. Syrian security sources said a person entered the cafe, placed an improvised explosive device under a table, and left before the blast.
The cafe sits about 100 meters from the main entrance of the Palace of Justice and draws lawyers, courthouse employees, and visitors.
Many of the wounded are being treated at Al-Mouwasa Hospital, Syrian officials said. Commander of Internal Security in Damascus Osama Atika and Interior Ministry officers reached the site to investigate. No group has claimed responsibility.
Damascus governor Maher Marwan stated on the courthouse steps that bad actors were trying to destabilise the country. "The coming hours will reveal everything and those who shed the blood of Syrians will pay, but Syria will be well as long as we are one hand and this will not shake the Syrian state," he said.
The Palace of Justice is holding trials of former government figures including Atef Najib, Wassim al-Assad, and Ahmad Badreddin Hassoun.
Political analyst Kamal Abdo said up to 10,000 individuals linked to the former government remain at large. The blast follows a May 19 car bombing near the Armament Management centre in Bab Sharqi that killed one soldier and wounded 18, and a June 22 bombing at the Mar Elias church in Dwelaa claimed by the ISIL armed group.
