Syria's Interior Ministry is continuing its investigation into the bombing that struck a cafe near the Palace of Justice in central Damascus on Thursday, killing nine people and injuring 20 others.
A Syrian security source said collecting evidence would take time before the final results of the investigation could be announced, noting that the area is one of the busiest districts in the Syrian capital.
The source told the German Press Agency (dpa) on Friday that criminal investigation teams and security personnel arrived at the scene immediately after the explosion to gather all available evidence, including surveillance camera footage, in an effort to identify the person who planted the explosive device inside the cafe.
In a statement issued overnight Thursday into Friday and published on its social media platforms, the Interior Ministry described the blast as a "terrorist" attack targeting a cafe on Al-Nasr Street near the Palace of Justice, about 70 meters west of the judicial complex. It said the explosion killed nine civilians, injured 20 others, and caused material damage at the scene.
The ministry said preliminary investigations indicated that the explosion was caused by an improvised explosive device weighing about one kilogram and packed with metal shrapnel, resulting in severe injuries and extensive damage. Following the blast, security forces sealed off the area, while engineering teams and police dog units conducted thorough searches to ensure there were no additional threats.
The ministry said forensic teams from the Criminal Investigation Department immediately began collecting evidence, reviewing surveillance footage, and interviewing witnesses and people who were near the scene as part of efforts to determine the circumstances of the attack, identify those responsible, and uncover anyone involved in planning it.
It added that the investigation remains ongoing and that any developments or confirmed findings would be announced through the Interior Ministry's official channels. The ministry also urged citizens and media outlets not to spread rumors or circulate unverified information and to rely on official statements as the sole authoritative source on the case.
Separately, the Syrian Bar Association called for tighter security measures and stronger preventive steps following the bombing. In a statement, it strongly condemned the attack, which it said targeted a vital civilian area near a judicial facility, describing attacks on civilians and public institutions as an assault on the justice system that threatens public safety and civil peace.
The association stressed the need to exercise the highest level of vigilance and strengthen security measures around critical facilities and public spaces. It also called for those responsible for the bombing, along with anyone behind it, to be pursued and face the harshest legal penalties.
The Bar Association reaffirmed its support for the relevant state institutions in efforts to protect security and stability, uphold the rule of law, and prevent any attempts to undermine Syria's social unity or destabilize the country.
Mohammed al-Tawil, head of the Syrian Bar Association, said the organization was closely following the aftermath of the bombing and had visited hospitals treating injured lawyers and other victims. He added that funeral processions for those killed had departed from hospitals to their hometowns, with victims hailing from Damascus, Rural Damascus, Quneitra, and Hasakah.
Syrian Internal Security Forces continued guarding the cafe where the bombing took place, keeping it closed since Thursday evening, while passersby stopped to look at the site of the attack.
Life has meanwhile returned to normal in the neighboring Hamidiyah district, one of Damascus' main tourist areas, home to the Umayyad Mosque, the Damascus Citadel, and the entrance to the city's Old Damascus neighborhoods.
The bombing was the deadliest attack in Syria so far this year and the second deadliest since the bombing of Mar Elias Church in Damascus, which took place on June 22 last year.
