BAQUBA, Iraq (AFP) – Police in the Iraqi city of Baquba detained a 15-year-old girl wearing an explosives vest who later confessed her mother was also planning to carry out a suicide attack, police told AFP late Sunday.

Acting provincial police chief Major General Abdel Karim Khalaf said officers saw a woman acting suspiciously on Sunday and ordered her to stop.

When she refused to comply, a policeman drew his gun on her while another handcuffed her. A bomb squad was then called and found she was wearing an explosives vest which was later defused.

Khalaf said the bomber confessed that her mother was also preparing to carry out a suicide attack after her death.

Police then went to Qatun, a town west of Baquba, and found her 45-year-old mother with another explosives vest, Khalaf said.

She was arrested along with a relative who was used to bring the vests, while her husband, the planner of the attacks, remains at large, Khalaf said.

Diyala province, including its capital Baquba, have seen a spate of suicide bombings by women over the past year.

Commanders regard the province as Iraq’s most dangerous and security forces are currently engaged in a massive operation against Al-Qaeda militants in Diyala.