Iraqi suicide bomber strikes bus headed for Shiite city

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- A suicide bomber detonated explosives Thursday inside a packed bus bound for a southern Shiite city, killing 32 people and wounding 44, police said. The blast pushed the three-day death toll from suicide attacks in the capital to at least 75.\nMeanwhile, a statement posted on the Internet in the name of the Islamic Army in Iraq claimed to have killed an American hostage. The statement did not name the hostage or provide photos, but the group earlier identified its captive as Ronald Alan Schulz and threatened to kill him unless all prisoners in Iraq were released.\nThe suicide attack occurred as the bus was pulling away from east Baghdad's Nadhaa station bound for Nasiriyah, 200 miles to the south. A man carrying a bag suddenly jumped on the vehicle through the open door, apparently waiting until the last moment to board in order to avoid security checks.\nHe was challenged by the conductor, but insisted on taking a seat, police Lt. Wisam Hakim said.\n"He sat in the middle of the bus and then the explosion took place," Hakim said.\nMost of those killed were on the bus, which was gutted by flames, but several people around a food stall also died, police said.\nOfficials at the scene said the death toll was especially high because the blast triggered secondary explosions in gas cylinders at the stall.\nSeveral other explosions rumbled through the heart of the capital Thursday morning, including one that struck an American convoy killing a U.S. soldier, the military said. The U.S. command also said a Marine was killed the day before in a bombing in Ramadi, 70 miles west of Baghdad.\nAt least 1,819 Iraqis have been killed in suicide attacks since the new government took office April 28, according to a count by The Associated Press. During that period, at least 4,676 Iraqis were killed in war-related violence, including suicide attacks.\nThe latest attacks broke a relative lull in suicide missions in the capital, a respite U.S. authorities had attributed to military operations against al-Qaida-led insurgents west of Baghdad.\nWhite House press secretary Scott McClellan said he could not confirm the death of the American hostage. Schulz's family in North Dakota said he was an electrician and was last heard from in Amman, Jordan. His brother, Ed, said he was advised by the State Department that Schulz might still be alive, and his sister, Julie, said the family was "just trying to get some information."\nThe Web statement posted Thursday said the Islamic Army killed "the American security consultant for the Housing Ministry" after the United States failed to respond to its demand of the release of Iraqi prisoners.