http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/09/06/africa/AF-GEN-Algeria-Suicide-Attack.php
Suicide attack in eastern Algeria kills 12, security officials say The Associated PressPublished: September 6, 2007 ALGIERS, Algeria: A bomb ripped through a crowd waiting for the Algerian president to arrive in an eastern town on Thursday, killing at least 16 and wounding some 74 people, hospital and security officials said. The bomb exploded about 45 minutes before President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's scheduled arrival in Batna, a town about 450 kilometers (280 miles) east of the capital, Algiers - and the last stop on the president's tour of eastern Algeria. Local police said a man, aged 30-35, had carried the explosive device in a bag into the middle of the crowd, which was waiting in front of Batna's Al-Atik mosque. Onlookers alerted police after determining the man was behaving strangely, the officials said. As police moved in toward the man, he threw down the bag and tried to flee, and the explosion went off, the officials said. It was not immediately clear whether he died or was wounded in the attack. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Bouteflika, who arrived after the blast, spoke briefly at Batna airport, saying "the only solution was national consensus." Coordinated terror attacks killed dozens of people on April 11, when bombs ripped through the Algerian prime minister's office and a police station in an Algiers suburb. A new al-Qaida wing claimed responsibility for the April bombings, saying they were carried out by suicide bombers in trucks packed with explosives. The group, al-Qaida in Islamic North Africa, was built on the foundations of the Algerian insurgent group that fought to try to topple Algeria's secular government. The insurgency broke out in 1992 after the army canceled legislative elections that an Islamic party was set to win, and over the years an estimated 200,000 people - including militants, security forces and civilians - were killed. Widespread killing died down 1990s but sporadic violence has resurfaced in recent months with attacks by al-Qaida in Islamic North Africa. In addition to the April blasts, seven simultaneous car bombs targeted police stations in February, killing six people. A July suicide car bombing in a military encampment killed 10 soldiers and wounded dozens. The attacks have proven a devastating setback for the North African nation's efforts to close that violent chapter in its history. Bouteflika has devoted his presidency to ending the violence, launching a national reconciliation plan offering amnesty to insurgents who lay down their arms and stepping up military sweeps of remaining insurgent strongholds. On touching down at Batna's airport Bouteflika said Algeria was committed to its peace process and would forge ahead "no matter the price." "This reconciliation, which does not exclude anyone," is part of "an effort for the reconstruction of Algeria, because without political stability there will be no economic and social development," he said. Bouteflika often tours the country to check on the progress of development programs and other initiatives. He visited several western regions about a month ago and began his tour of the east on Tuesday, visiting four regions over three days. French President Nicolas Sarkozy sent his condolences to the families of the victims of Thursday's attacks, saying that France - Algeria's former colonial master - expressed its solidarity with the Algerian people. "I completely condemn the barbaric and blind violence from which the Algerian people continue to suffer," he said in a statement. In a separate statement, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner called the blast a "barbaric" act. The bombing comes just days before the sixth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. Analysts and security officials have been warning al-Qaida could be plotting attacks around this period. German authorities announced Thursday they had arrested three Islamic militants suspected of plotting massive bomb attacks. On Tuesday, eight men - of Pakistani, Afghan, Somali and Turkish origin - were arrested in Denmark. Authorities said the men were linked to senior al-Qaida leaders, but have not revealed what their targets were, or when they planned to strike.
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