Members of the Iraqi parliament reconvened on a special session Friday to condemn a suicide bombing inside the parliament complex the day before in Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone, which killed eight and injured 23 others.

Speaker Mahmud al-Mashhadani addressed the gathering after the session began with a recitation of prayers from the Koran, state television showed.

"This session is a challenge against all the terrorists who want to stop the democracy process in Iraq. The ship of Iraq will keep moving to the secure land while the terrorism's ship will capsize," al-Mashhadani said.

Interior Minister Jawad al-Bolani was also seen among the group of few lawmakers.

Hadi al-Amiri, a senior lawmaker of the Shiite United Iraqi Alliance bloc, condemned the blast and expressed condolences to the dead.

Mustafa al-Hiti, a legislator of the Sunni National Dialogue Front, said that "the attack targeting the parliament is to destroy the whole political process in the country."

He also called for an immediate and complete investigation into the attack.

On Thursday, a suicide bomber managed to sneak into the heavily fortified Green Zone in central Baghdad and blew himself up in the Iraqi parliament complex.

The suicide bomber wearing an explosive vest detonated in a restaurant inside the parliament complex while many parliament members were having lunch, killing eight people including three lawmakers and injuring 23 others.

U.S. and Iraqi authorities have launched an investigation into the worst security breach in the Green Zone. Three workers in the restaurant have been detained for questioning, a senior lawmaker said on Friday.

Some parliamentary guards were also being investigated but none were being held, according to media reports.

Source: Xinhua