Suicide bomber blasts Baghdad mosque

19 people have died after a suicide bomber entered a Shi'ite mosque in central Baghdad and blew himself and everything around up.

The death toll of the accident may rise as many other people were seriously injured and could die.

The bomb was 'so big and stuffed with tiny metal balls to kill as many people as possible', said policeman Abbas Inad.

A journalist in the area reported that the mosque walls became black with smoke, blood stained the ceiling and prayer mats were scattered all over.

Although it is not clear who had launched the attack, suspicions fall over the Sunni Islamist insurgents who are known to target the Shi'ites and who have gained ground in Iraq over the last months.