Four people were killed and 17 injured by a suicide bomber who targeted Shia Muslims in the city of Baquba, northeast of Baghdad.
The Shias had gathered to observe the annual ritual of Ashura, the Aswat Al Iraq news agency reported.
In a separate attack, the wife a pro-government Sahwa militia member and her daughter were killed by a bomb planted near their home just south of Baghdad, security sources said.
The Sahwa, or Awakening councils, are comprised of Sunni fighters who joined forces with US troops to combat Al Qaeda in Iraq. Sahwa members have frequently been targets of violence in recent years.
The arrests in the latest sweep focused on some of Iraq’s most volatile areas.
In the northern city of Mosul, 34 suspects were arrested for alleged involvement in violence against civilians and security forces.
“This group, which belongs to the so-called State of Mosul, is involved in bringing suicide bombers from North Africa and some other Arab states into the country,” Interior Minister Jawad al-Bulani told reporters.
“This network is the main financier for all terrorist operations in Iraq,” al-Bulani charged, but did not substantiate his claims.
In Karbala, 55 suspects - Islamists and secular Baathist fighters - were arrested over the past two days for planning attacks against Shia pilgrims who are in the city for Ashura.
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