November 10, 2005 - 8:50 AM

Baghdad restaurant bombing kills 35

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A suicide bomber killed 35 people and wounded at least 25 more in a crowded restaurant in central Baghdad frequented by security forces during breakfast on Thursday morning, police said.

It was one of the biggest attacks in recent weeks and came the day after at least six people were killed and 25 wounded when two car bombs exploded near a police station and a mosque in a mainly Shi'ite area of Baghdad.

Medical sources at two hospitals said the death toll was at least 25. The U.S. military also said the death toll at 25 according to initial reports.

"A suicide bomber wearing an explosive vest went into a restaurant," a police official said shortly after the loud blast, which could be heard from several kilometres (miles) away, rocking the city shortly after 9:30 a.m. (6:30 a.m. British time).

"Body parts are all over the place, we are still collecting them," a police officer on the scene said.

He said at least four Iraqi policemen were eating breakfast at the restaurant when the bomber struck. A police explosive expert on the scene said the bomber had also been carrying a bag full of explosives.

The police official said the restaurant was thought to be regularly frequented by Iraqi security force members.

The Shi'ite- and Kurdish-led government is fighting a Sunni Arab insurgency that has killed thousands of people since the March 2003 U.S.-led invasion.