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3 Killed in Blast Outside Catholic Church in Nigeria


A file picture taken on January 24, 2010, shows a Christian resident of the Nigerian city of Jos standing near a church burnt in ongoing sectarian violence.
A file picture taken on January 24, 2010, shows a Christian resident of the Nigerian city of Jos standing near a church burnt in ongoing sectarian violence.

A suspected suicide bomber struck a Catholic church in Nigeria's central city of Jos, killing at least three people.

Attacks Claimed by Boko Haram

  • July 2009 - Attacks and clashes in Bauchi and Maiduguri leave 800 people dead.
  • December 2010 - Bombings in central Nigeria and church attacks in the northeast kill 86 people.
  • June 16, 2011 - Car bomb kills two outside police headquarters in Abuja.
  • June 26, 2011 - Attack on a bar in Maiduguri kills 25 people.
  • August 25, 2011 - Attacks on a police station in Gombi and two banks leave 12 people dead.
  • August 26, 2011 - Suicide bomber kills 23 people at the U.N. building in Abuja.
  • November 4, 2011 - Bombings in Damaturu and Potiskum kill 65 people.
  • December 25, 2011 - Christmas Day bombings across Nigeria kill 39 people.
  • January 10, 2011 - Gunmen open fire on a bar in Yobe state, killing eight people.

The explosion took place Sunday outside St. Finbar's Church in the restive city, which has been shaken by violence between Christians and Muslims.

Emergency officials say a car laden with explosives detonated as it approached the church.

Medical crews raced to the scene to transport the injured to hospitals and investigators cordoned off the area.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast.

A radical Islamic sect known as Boko Haram has claimed responsibility for similar attacks, including one on February 26 that killed at least six people at the Church of Christ in Jos.

The militant group has said it is fighting to impose a strict form of Islamic law across the country.

Nigeria is Africa's most populous nation with more than 160 million people. It is divided roughly in half between the predominantly Muslim north and the mainly Christian south..

Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

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