A suicide bomber blew himself up among a crowd of police recruits in eastern Baghdad on Thursday, killing 10 people and wounding 15 others, an Interior Ministry source said.

"A suicide bomber wearing an explosive vest blew himself up at about 7:00 AM (04:00 GMT) among police recruits queued to sign up to join Iraqi police at a checkpoint set up at an entrance of the Iraqi police academy," the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

The blast killed 10 people, including two policemen, and wounded 15 others, including two policemen, the source added.

(Xinhua News Agency December 21, 2006)