A suicide bomber disguised as a worshipper blew himself up inside a Shiite mosque north of Baghdad Thursday and killed eight people, a police spokesman said, shattering a period of relative calm across the country.
Eighteen people were injured in the blast in the city of Balad Ruz, 45 miles north of Baghdad, said the police spokesman, Maj. Ghalib al-Karkhi. There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but Sunni militants have often targeted Shiite mosques as a way to incite sectarian violence.
Most of the dead were worshippers at the mosque.
Al-Karkhi said the suicide bomber had dressed up in a long black cloak called an abaya and a black turban in order to mingle with worshippers inside the mosque.
The black turban is usually worn by Shiite Muslims who are direct descendants of Islam's prophet Muhammad. Such people are usually treated with great respect within the Shiite community and as such the bomber was not searched going into the mosque, al-Karkhi said.
Diyala is a mixed Sunni and Shiite province which has been a flashpoint of violence in the past. While violence has declined dramatically since the height of the sectarian tensions a few years ago, the attack shows the insurgency is still trying to provoke the type of sectarian conflict that once tore Iraq apart.
Earlier Thursday, four people were killed in another Iraqi town when a parked car bomb targeting a police officer exploded.
The parked car bomb targeted Lt. Col. Mohammed Muhsin al-Jibouri as he drove through the northern town of Hawija, Brig. Gen. Sarhad Qadir said.
The slain officer was traveling in a civilian car with his three guards. The blast also wounded eight bystanders. Sunni militants often target security officials as a way to intimidate people from joining the security services or to cripple the police's capabilities.
The Sunni-dominated town of Hawija, once an insurgent stronghold, is located about 150 miles (240 kilometers) north of Baghdad.