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| Abuja blast: Car bomb attack rocks Nigerian capital | Abuja blast: Car bomb attack rocks Nigerian capital |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| A car bomb attack has killed at least 19 people and injured 60 more in the Nigerian capital Abuja, officials say. | A car bomb attack has killed at least 19 people and injured 60 more in the Nigerian capital Abuja, officials say. |
| The explosion happened in the suburb of Nyanya, close to a bus station where at least 70 people died in a bomb blast on 14 April. | The explosion happened in the suburb of Nyanya, close to a bus station where at least 70 people died in a bomb blast on 14 April. |
| Witnesses said the explosion targeted a police checkpoint near a bus station. | Witnesses said the explosion targeted a police checkpoint near a bus station. |
| No group has said it carried out Thursday's attack. The Islamist militant group Boko Haram said it was behind the fatal explosion last month. | No group has said it carried out Thursday's attack. The Islamist militant group Boko Haram said it was behind the fatal explosion last month. |
| The BBC's Will Ross in Abuja says Nyanya is a religiously mixed area and it is not clear why the area has been targeted. | The BBC's Will Ross in Abuja says Nyanya is a religiously mixed area and it is not clear why the area has been targeted. |
| Fears over security | Fears over security |
| Charles Osueke, who was in the area at the time of the blast, told the BBC that it was just 200m (650ft) away from the 14 April explosion. | Charles Osueke, who was in the area at the time of the blast, told the BBC that it was just 200m (650ft) away from the 14 April explosion. |
| "People in the crowd were saying that a man parked his car, walked away and the next thing they know, the car blew up," he said. | "People in the crowd were saying that a man parked his car, walked away and the next thing they know, the car blew up," he said. |
| "I'm worried about our security here. After the last explosion, the president said he would increase security," Mr Osueke added. | "I'm worried about our security here. After the last explosion, the president said he would increase security," Mr Osueke added. |
| "There were policemen around when this explosion happened and they didn't manage to stop it." | "There were policemen around when this explosion happened and they didn't manage to stop it." |
| The head of Nigeria's Emergency Management Agency, Abbas Idriss, told the BBC that 19 people were killed in the blast and 60 others were injured. | The head of Nigeria's Emergency Management Agency, Abbas Idriss, told the BBC that 19 people were killed in the blast and 60 others were injured. |
| Most of Boko Haram's attacks have been in the north-east of Nigeria. | Most of Boko Haram's attacks have been in the north-east of Nigeria. |
| But the bombing on 14 April raised fears that the militants could be trying to expand their area of operation. | But the bombing on 14 April raised fears that the militants could be trying to expand their area of operation. |
| In a video message after that attack, the group's leader Abubakar Shekau said: "We are in your city but you don't know where we are." | In a video message after that attack, the group's leader Abubakar Shekau said: "We are in your city but you don't know where we are." |
| The latest attack comes just days before Abuja is set to host the World Economic Forum on Africa. Figures released last month showed Nigeria is now Africa's biggest economy. | The latest attack comes just days before Abuja is set to host the World Economic Forum on Africa. Figures released last month showed Nigeria is now Africa's biggest economy. |
| Insecurity will be a major concern: Several world leaders, including Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, are due to attend the event. | Insecurity will be a major concern: Several world leaders, including Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, are due to attend the event. |
| Correspondents say the blast comes at a terrible time for Nigeria, which is also dealing with the abduction of 230 schoolgirls that happened hours after the previous Nyanya attack. | Correspondents say the blast comes at a terrible time for Nigeria, which is also dealing with the abduction of 230 schoolgirls that happened hours after the previous Nyanya attack. |
| Former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has called for international military assistance to be offered to Nigeria in the hunt for the girls. | Former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has called for international military assistance to be offered to Nigeria in the hunt for the girls. |
| "We could provide military help to the Nigerians to track down the whereabouts of the girls before they're dispersed throughout Africa - like air support, for example, if that was thought necessary," he told the UK's Guardian newspaper. | "We could provide military help to the Nigerians to track down the whereabouts of the girls before they're dispersed throughout Africa - like air support, for example, if that was thought necessary," he told the UK's Guardian newspaper. |
| Last week, an advisor to Nigeria's president said the government would welcome international assistance. | Last week, an advisor to Nigeria's president said the government would welcome international assistance. |
| The Boko Haram insurgency has led to the deaths of some 1,500 people this year, human rights groups say. | The Boko Haram insurgency has led to the deaths of some 1,500 people this year, human rights groups say. |
| The group has hit Abuja several times before, including an attack on the United Nations national headquarters in 2011. | The group has hit Abuja several times before, including an attack on the United Nations national headquarters in 2011. |
| But before 14 April, there had not been an attack in the capital for two years. | But before 14 April, there had not been an attack in the capital for two years. |
| Boko Haram, whose name means "Western education is forbidden" in the local Hausa language, has been waging a campaign of gun and bomb attacks since 2009. | Boko Haram, whose name means "Western education is forbidden" in the local Hausa language, has been waging a campaign of gun and bomb attacks since 2009. |