Tuesday 20 September 2011

Video of suspected bomber who attacked Abuja UN headquarters circulating around Nigeria

It has been reported that a video message featuring a suicide bomber who allegedly carried out the attack on UN headquarters last month is circulating within Nigeria. Islamist group Boko Haram claimed the attack, which killed 23 people and injured more than 80 others.

The video obtained by AFP news agency is yet to be verified. It contains 25 minutes of speech by the alleged UN bomber holding an AK-47 automatic rifle, with two other people in the background. It also reportedly shows the alleged bomber pleading with his family to appreciate his actions, meant to teach the US “and other infidels” a lesson.

In the 26th August attack; a suicide bomber drove his car through the Abuja headquarters' security barriers crashing into the reception area before the explosion. The blasts brought down parts of the structure, where about 400 UN staff worked, also shattering the widows of nearby buildings.

A man claiming to be a spokesman for Boko Haram reportedly told AFP the suspected bomber was Mohammed Abul Barra, a 27 year-old married man from Maiduguri. The video also contains a reference to the UN headquarters as a "forum of all the global evil", and praise for former Al-Qa'ida leader Osama Bin Laden.

Boko Haram is fighting for the establishment of Sharia law across Nigeria, it has alleged to have connections with the Al-Qa'ida in the Islamic Maghreb, which operates in North Africa and Al-Shabab in Somalia.

Sources: BBC News, AFP, AP

For more news and expert analysis about Nigeria, please see Nigeria Focus and Nigeria Politics & Security.

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