A suicide bomber hid explosives under watermelons in the back of a pick-up truck which he drove into a police headquarters in northern Iraq today,killing five people and wounding eight others, police and hospital officials said.

The explosion partially destroyed Bab al-Toob police station in central Mosul, 225 miles north-west of Baghdad.

The blast happened at about 6.30am local time in a busy shopping district that includes a market.

Policeman Mohammed Hussein Ali, 30, said he witnessed the attack in which a man driving a pickup truck with watermelons in the back slammed into the station.

“We didn’t suspect him. Everyday we see such cars because we’re near a market,” Ali said.

All the roads were blocked at the time except for one that leads to the market, he said.

Four policeman and a civilian were killed in the blast, police Brig. Gen. Saaid al-Gibouri said.

The four policemen killed were sleeping in a room at the police headquarters and died when the roof collapsed on them. The civilian victim was killed on the street outside.

The wounded included the police and civilians, Dr. Baha al-Din al-Bakri said. The police station’s commander was among the wounded.

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