Official: Arrests Made in Nigeria Election Bombing

Radical Muslim sect is also responsible for the Aug. 26 car bombing at the U.N. headquarters in Abuja that killed 23 people.

Posted: 09/06/2011 08:28 AM EDT
Filed Under Nigeria

A Nigerian soldier secures the area at the United Nation's office following a suicide car bomb attack in Abuja last month. (Photo: AP Photo/Sunday Alamba, FILE)

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Nigeria's secret police say they've arrested five suspected members of a radical Muslim sect over the bombing of an election office and a church near the country's capital.

In a statement Tuesday, the State Security Service said the five suspects bombed the Niger state headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission on April 8, as well as a church there on July 10. The church bombing killed at least three people, while the election office attack killed at least eight.

The secret police said those arrested are part of a feared sect known locally as Boko Haram. That group claimed responsibility for the Aug. 26 car bombing at the United Nations headquarters in Nigeria's capital Abuja that killed 23 people.

Comments

How You Can Help the Victims in Oklahoma

The Red Cross, Salvation Army and more ways to give. 05/21/2013

A Snapshot of the African-American Financial Experience

Paying down debt is top priority for Blacks. 05/21/2013

Export Your Summer Jobs Search

What to know about taking a summer job overseas. 05/21/2013

Out and About: Solange Hits the New Museum in NYC

Plus pics of A$AP Rocky, Amber Rose, Nicki Minaj and more. 05/22/2013

The Rundown: French Montana, Excuse My French

A track-by-track review of the Bronx rapper's debut LP. 05/20/2013

Bump Watch: Celebrity Pregnancy Denials

Bey, Brandy and other stars plagued by baby rumors. 05/21/2013