At least 23 killed in Baghdad bombings

A suicide attacker detonated an explosive vest inside a crowded Baghdad coffee shop today and seconds later another bomb exploded under a nearby car, killing at least 23 people and wounding 26, police and hospital officials said.

The blasts occurred as the mother of abducted American reporter Jill Carroll appealed for her daughter’s release after her captors threatened to kill her if US authorities do not release all Iraqi women in military custody.