Mourners bury victims of Damascus cafe

Syrians have filed through the capital, Damascus, to mourn the victims of a bomb blast that ripped through a cafe, near the Palace of Justice, killing nine people, including six lawyers.

The funeral procession in the normally bustling Midan neighbourhood saw mourners on Friday carry the coffins of three of the dead, as they were laid to rest.

Thursday’s blast, which also wounded 22 people, targeted the Al-Mushairiya Cafe on al-Nasr Street in the al-Hijaz district.
The cafe, located some 70 metres (230 feet) from the Palace of Justice, where several high-profile cases have been held, was a popular gathering spot for legal professionals and court visitors.

Damascus Governor Maher Marwan described the device as “primitive” and promised that perpetrators would face justice.

Six lawyers were among the dead, according to local media. The independent Syrian news outlet Zaman al-Wasl named the lawyers as Muhannad Khalaf, Zuhair Askar, Hossam al-Safadi, Mahmoud al-Shamali, Muhammad Ali al-Shihab, and Eid Muhammad Awad.

The Syrian Bar Association issued a statement mourning “a constellation of its fellow lawyers who were martyred”. It said the lawyers “left us while performing their mission in the justice system” and extended its condolences to their families.

-Al Jazeera