Iraqi authorities have arrested a suspect in the attempted assassination of Shiite Vice President Adel Abdul-Mahdi, an aide said Tuesday.
The aide said the arrest was made after reviewing security camera video from Monday’s blast, which ripped through an awards ceremony at the ministry of public works and killed at least 10 people.
Abdul-Mahdi received leg injuries and was briefly hospitalized.
The aide declined to give any further details about the arrest or the suspect. He spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media.
He said the bomb was planted under a chair in the first row of the meeting hall — about six feet from the vice president. Police initially thought the bomb was hidden under a speakers’ podium.
“Investigations are being done to figure out how the attack was planned,” Abdul-Mahdi told Furat television.
Abdul-Mahdi is one of two vice presidents. The other, Tariq al-Hashemi, is Sunni.
