Damascus [Syria], July 3 : A bomb blast ripped through a cafe in central Damascus near the Palace of Justice killing five people and injuring 20 others sans immediate claim of responsibility, Al Jazeera reported.
Maher Marwan Idlibi, the Governor of Damascus, said the investigation into the attack is ongoing. He confirmed that an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) was planted in the cafe, and at least one suspect fleeing the area was pursued and captured.
Idlibi further said there are "bad actors" trying to destabilise the country when the government is working to rebuild and stabilise the economic and security situation. Neither did he categorise this as a terrorist attack, nor did he link it to a proscribed organisation such as Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), also known as Daesh, as per Al Jazeera.
The explosion had occurred at a cafe on the road leading to the historic Hamidiyeh Market, one of the busiest areas in the city. The court house which is 100 metres away reported no damages. Security and emergency personnel were seen wading their way through the crowd after the explosion.
Idlibi said, "The coming hours will reveal everything and those who shed the blood of Syrians will pay, but Syria will be well as long as we are one hand, and this will not shake the Syrian state. There are a lot of measures being taken for Syria's security, there are greater numbers of forces day by day, and there is a marked improvement in the Interior Ministry."
He added, as quoted by Al Jazeera, "It will take some time for the Syrian state to attain stability. The Interior Ministry has done well over the last few months. Despite beginning from ruins, there has been a marked improvement. Day after day, they will get those who have affected Syria's security. The more Syria attains stability, the more there are those who want to damage it."
Damascus has been hit by several attacks since the toppling of former President Bashar al-Assad in late 2024. His overthrow by Ahmed al-Sharaa, the current President of Syria, and his rebel forces effectively ended 14 years of civil war, as per Al Jazeera.