According to the Syrian government, a suicide bomber attacked buses carrying riot police shortly before an anti-government protest was to begin.
Most of the victims were civilians, though the Syrian government showed footage of what it claimed to be the funeral of 11 police officers killed in the attack.
Interior Minister Mohammed Shaar said that the bomber "detonated himself with the aim of killing the largest number of people."
Hundreds of government loyalists later arrived at the scene, some of whom were waving flags and chanting in support of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.
"[13] The Free Syrian Army (FSA), the main anti-government paramilitary group, denied involvement and condemned the attack.
FSA spokesman Major Maher al-Naimi said: "This is planned and systematic state terrorism by the security forces of the President Bashar al-Assad".
[13] The Syrian National Council issued a statement reading: "Today's bombings, in the area that has experienced the largest of the anti-regime demonstrations, clearly bear the regime's fingerprints".
Another shows a man with a microphone (allegedly a reporter for Syrian state TV) placing "bags of vegetables" in the street to give the impression that some of the victims were civilians shopping in the nearby market.
[15] At the end of February a group called the al-Nusra Front claimed responsibility for the attack and placed a 45-minute video on the Internet showing its preparation.