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| Africa North |
| Suicide attack at Algerian police academy kills 43 |
| 2008-08-19 |
| A suicide bomber rammed an explosives-rigged car into a police academy as recruits lined up to register for classes, killing at least 43 people. It was the deadliest attack in the North African country since the 1990s. The Interior Ministry said 42 civilians and a police officer were killed in the attack early Tuesday in the town of Les Issers, some 35 miles east of the capital, Algiers, the state-run APS news agency said. The blast ripped off parts of the policy academy's roof, and damaged its facade. Photos transmitted by APS showed bodies wrapped in yellow plastic bags or blankets lying amid the rubble. Nearby houses and passing cars were also damaged. Witnesses said all roads within two miles of Les Issers were blocked and cell phone networks were scrambled as police closed off the area. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, but the country's al-Qaida affiliate has said it was behind a series of bombings in the past two years. A security official at the school told The Associated Press that the attack occurred as young recruits waited to sign up for classes. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter with the media, said the local academy was vulnerable because of the crowd of applicants at its gate. Most of the civilians killed were police recruits, but witnesses said the blast also killed several people in nearby cars. ... |
| Posted by:ed |