Suicide bomber kills 4 with disguised vehicle in Baghdad

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- A suicide bomber driving a van disguised as an ambulance blew up his vehicle Wednesday in front of a hotel frequented by Westerners, witnesses and police said. Iraqi police reported four people were killed, and South Africa said one of its nationals was among them.\nIn the southern city of Nasiriyah, about 10,000 followers of a radical Shiite Muslim cleric forced the coalition-appointed governor to leave his office, insisting they would recognize only elected leaders.\n"No to Israel, no to imperialism, no to America," the crowd chanted.\nThe U.S. military initially reported three dead in the suicide bombing, then said only the driver was killed. A spokesman refused to explain why the figure was lowered.\nThe blast at the Shaheen Hotel also injured 17 people, according to hospital officials. The spokesman for the South African Foreign Ministry, Ronnie Mamoepa, said one South African was killed and four injured in the blast.\nThe bombing occurred at about 6:40 a.m. after security guards opened fire on the vehicle -- a white van with Red Crescent markings -- as it maneuvered around concrete barriers in the street, witnesses said.\nThe explosion gouged a huge crater in the street, shattered the ground floor of the three-story hotel and damaged at least three other buildings nearby.\nAt least 10 cars parked along the street were severely damaged, some reduced to mounds of twisted metal. The blast hurled remains of one car across the street, and other cars were set on fire.\nResidents of the hotel include the labor minister, Sami Izara al-Majoun, who was unhurt.\n"My guards came to the room and rushed me downstairs. The hotel was burning and there was fire and smoke everywhere," al-Majoun said.\nHe said some foreigners were staying in the hotel but he didn't know their nationalities or professions.\nThe hotel is located in the Karadah neighborhood, which includes several foreign embassies -- including the Swiss, Polish and Armenian -- and the main station of the security force protecting diplomatic missions.\n"If you see my house, you wouldn't be able to recognize it," said Sonya Tatyosian, who lives across the street from the hotel. Still dressed in her pajamas, she stood weeping on the street as she used a friend's satellite phone to call her brother in California.\n"I am OK," she sobbed. "Just didn't want you to worry."\nIt was the first vehicle bombing in Baghdad since Jan. 18, when 31 people were killed in a blast at a main gate to the headquarters of the U.S.-led coalition. Most of the dead were Iraqis.\nAt least five hotels used by foreigners in Baghdad have been attacked by insurgents in the past with car bombs, rockets and other explosive devices.\nThe attacks underscore the precarious security situation in Baghdad nine months after the collapse of Saddam Hussein's regime. Wednesday's attack came a day after a United Nations team arrived in Baghdad to determine whether it is safe for the world body to send a mission here to study prospects for an early legislative election.