Suicide bomber kills herself in front of Turkish mosque

ANKARA, Turkey -- A female suicide bomber blew herself up yesterday in front of a mosque in the Black Sea city of Ordu, injuring two other people in the explosion, including a suspected accomplice, police said.

The explosion followed the worst street rioting in Turkey in a decade, which has left 16 people dead, mostly Kurdish rioters. A militant Kurdish group had vowed to step up attacks to avenge those deaths.

The rioting was set off by funerals for 14 pro-autonomy Kurdish guerrillas killed by Turkish troops late last month. Thousands of protesters have rampaged since, attacking police, banks and government offices.

The woman blew herself up in front of the Yenimahalle mosque near the fountains where the devout wash themselves before prayers, a police official said.

Another woman -- a suspected accomplice who was also carrying explosives -- and a man who was washing himself were injured, the official said. A third bomber escaped the scene in Ordu, about 400 miles northeast of Ankara.

Police were investigating to see if the bombers may have been Kurdish rebels. Kurdish rebels and left-wing militants are active in the city.

Police believe the attackers may have been targeting a prayer meeting nearby and that the device went off accidentally, the official said. The official was speaking on condition of anonymity due to rules that bar Turkish civil servants from speaking to journalists.

The main Kurdish guerrilla group, the Kurdistan Workers Party, has long recruited women.