Iran-backed cell may have set deadly blast

BAGHDAD, June 18 (UPI) -- A deadly bombing in a busy Baghdad neighborhood may have been an attempt to incite Shiite violence against Sunnis, U.S. military officials said Wednesday.

The death toll from the explosion was 63, officials said, while another 71 people were injured, CNN reported. The blast occurred Tuesday when a car bomb was detonated at a bus stop in the Hurriya neighborhood, ripping through a market and nearby buildings.

Military spokesman U.S. Army Lt. Col. Steve Stover said officials believe a "Special Groups" cell, led by Haydar Mehdi Khadum al-Fawadi, targeted Sunnis in Hurriya, several media outlets reported. "Special Groups" is the name the military gives to Iranian-backed militants.

Officials said the attack may have been carried out to incite violence between Sunnis and Shiites, as well as prevent displaced Sunnis from returning to their homes in Hurriya, CNN said.

The attack, carried out during a busy time in the area, is the worst attack in the Iraqi capital since March, the BBC reported.

Witnesses said the blast set fire to a generator, spreading flames to a building housing shops and apartments, the British broadcaster said.