Gunmen blew up a car bomb, sprayed gunfire in a crowded area and took hostages in a shopping mall in eastern Baghdad Monday, killing at least 12 people, police said. A hospital official confirmed the death toll and said at least 36 people were also wounded during the attack in the Baghdad al-Jadida neighbourhood. "They are inside the Zahrat Baghdad mall. When the security forces got too close, they killed three hostages," a police official said.
"We are taking a cautious approach now. We want this attack to end with the lowest possible number of casualties," the official said. He described the mall as a building of four or five floors in a busy commercial area of Baghdad al-Jadida, a populous Shia-majority area on the eastern edge of the Iraqi capital.
A large plume of black smoke could be seen billowing into the sky above the area where the mall is located. An interior ministry source said an unspecified number of gunmen opened fire in the street after a car bomb exploded and briefly clashed with members of the security forces before entering the mall. The official said the attackers had posted men on the roof. One police official suggested there may have been more than one car bomb blast in the early stages of the attack. Police said a counter-terrorism force from the intelligence services was on the scene and snipers posted on buildings around the mall.