Al Qaeda Uses Two Down’s Syndrome Women To Blow Up 73 People
February 1, 2008 by national
Filed under World Report
The death toll from the two bombings increased throughout the day to at least 73.
The chief Iraqi military spokesman in Baghdad, Brigadier General Qassim al-Moussawi, claimed the female bombers apparently had Down’s syndrome and the explosives were detonated by remote control, indicating the women may not have been willing attackers, according to his office.
Bolstering that claim, local police said the woman in the first attack sold cream in the morning at the market and was known to locals as “the crazy lady”.
Police initially said the bomb at al-Ghazil market was hidden in a box of birds but determined it was a suicide attack after finding the woman’s head, an officer said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorised to release the information.
The attacks are sure to dent growing confidence among ordinary Iraqis that the streets of Baghdad are becoming safer following a steep reduction in violence.
