At least 147 people have been killed in two truck bombs coordinate explosions in Iraq. More than 500 people were also injured in the blasts, which tore through the heart of downtown Baghdad on Sunday morning.

 

The blasts went off less than a minute apart, the first in front of the Ministry of Justice building, the second near the headquarters of the Baghdad provincial administration.

The attacks came as Iraq prepares for elections scheduled for January. Officials have warned that violence by insurgents intent on destabilizing the country is likely to rise.

There have been no claims of responsibility so far.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki toured the blast areas. He blamed al-Qaida and members of the deposed regime of Saddam Hussein for the carnage.

The blasts are a blow to the prime minister, who has staked his reputation and re-election hopes on returning security to the country.

The bombings were the deadliest since a series of massive truck bombs in northern Iraq killed nearly 500 villagers in August 2007.

In Baghdad itself, it is the worst attack since a series of suicide bombings against Shiite neighborhoods in April 2007 killed 183 people.

The attacks raise doubts about the ability of Iraqi forces to take over security from US soldiers. American combat troops pulled out of Iraqi city centers in June, ahead of a complete withdrawal from the country by the end of 2011.