A bomb exploded outside a police station in a quarter of Damascus Old City on Sunday, mainly dominated by Christians, killing 10 people and wounding many others, a security official said.

“At least seven people were killed and many others wounded when a bomb or a car bomb exploded in Bab Touma Square in front of the police station,” the official told AFP.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the explosion was “strong” and caused by a car bomb.

The Syrian official says the explosion targeted a police station in the neighborhood, which is a popular attraction for shoppers and inhabited mostly by the Christian minority.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not allowed to make press statements.

Ambulances sped to the site and security forces cut off access to the area. Several cars were burnt, witnesses said.

This was the first attack in Bab Touma, one of the oldest quarters of the capital.

The explosion took place as al-Assad opened talks with visiting U.N. peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, who is trying to broker a truce to start during a Muslim holiday this week.

The Christian hierarchy and a large part of the faithful back Bashar al-Assad, fearful of the influence of Islamists in the rebellion to overthrow the Syrian president.Al Arabiya