NEWS ALERT: Explosion Shakes Downtown Baghdad (1:23 PM ET)

[BurtWorm]

No details yet. It's on the NYTimes.com from page

[BurtWorm]

1. More info

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- A big explosion rocked central Baghdad late Friday and a huge cloud of smoke was seen rising from the direction of Martyrs' Square, where the American military maintains a base.

The explosion shook the Palestine Hotel about 2 1/2 miles away from where it was believed to have occurred.

No other details were available.

[Mari333]

3. cbs news.com reports Massive Blast at Baghdad Police Academy

casualties being reported


http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/02/24/iraq/main541815.shtml
http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/home/main100.shtml

[Cappurr]

15. that was the most I could get regarding casualties.

CBS News' Lisa Barron, on the scene, said it occurred near the police academy, and it appeared there were casualties Seems that some thought one of the Iraqui's that had turned himself in were there. I donno. Just a thought.

[madfloridian]

4. Nothing on CNN or MSNBC

n/t

[Minstrel Boy]

5. The Palestine Hotel?

Will this mean journalists were the target?

Robert Fisk, be careful out there.

[BurtWorm]

6. No, 2.5 miles away from the hotel

The blast was felt at the hotel. It was that big a blast.

[Brotherjohn]

7. It says the Palestine Hotel is about 2.5 mi from where the explosion...

... is believed to have occurred. They're just pointing that out because the journalist(s) reporting the story probably heard it from the hotel.

That being said, however, it must have been some explosion.

[Brian Sweat]

10. The blast was 2 1/2 miles from the hotel.

The just mentioned that the hotel was shook.

[LightTheMatch]

2. Nothing on CNN Yet.

n/t

[Mari333]

8. On MSNBC now

Now they say no casualties..

[Bozita]

11. Maybe Bush can't afford more casualties after Bloody Thursday.

So, there are no casualties.

[a_random_joel]

9. Something about a police station

From the cbsnews site.

[grasswire]

12. I heard them say two blasts

One of the blasts at the "stadium"

[grasswire]

14. tiny blurb

09-19) 10:19 PDT BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) --

A big explosion rocked central Baghdad late Friday and a huge cloud of smoke was seen rising from the direction of Martyrs' Square, where the American military maintains a base.

[Brotherjohn]

13. Yes, they have a reporter who is at the scene of the police station.

Sounds pretty definitive. She says there are "casualties". There are reports of a second Baghdad explosion in other threads, but it seems too early to confirm that.

[Hanuman]

16. Heard no casualties on KABC/LA

.

[Bossy Monkey]

17. Story has vanished from AP, but CNN finally mentions it

http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/09/19/sprj.irq.main/index.html
The incredible shrinking explosion. On the other hand, it did divide in two. Go figure.