Deadly Blast Rocks Nigeria UN Building

::jseblod::onislam_article::/jseblod::::onislamarticleaction::::/onislamarticleaction::::artpretitle:: ::/artpretitle::::artsubtitle:: ::/artsubtitle::::artseries:: ::/artseries::::artlead::A bomb rocked the UN building in the Nigerian capital Abuja on Friday, August 26, killing a number of people, leaving others trapped and causing heavy damage.::/artlead::::artepigraph:: ::/artepigraph::::artbody::ABUJA - A bomb rocked the UN building in the Nigerian capital Abuja on Friday, August 26, killing a number of people, leaving others trapped and causing heavy damage."We have had 10 dead and there could be more," a medical worker at the sight of the blast told Reuters.Some witnesses reported that the bomb exploded after a suspect rammed a car through the front gate. Parts of the first two floors of the building were blown out and rescue workers scrambled to rescue those left inside."It looks like a suicide bombing," a security source at the scene told Agence France-Presse (AFP)."A guy drove a Honda car, forced his way through the gate and rammed into the building, and then the bomb exploded."There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but fingers were immediately pointed at radical Boko Haram group who has been blamed for scores of bombings in recent months."A number of dead people and injured have been moved in ambulances to the hospital," police spokesman Yemi Ajayi said.One UN staff member said people were still trapped in the building that sustained heavy damage."I don't know what is going on. Many people are still trapped upstairs and we need a crane to bring people down," said the UN employee who did not want to give her name.Two cranes were later brought to the scene and rescue workers were trying to free those trapped on the upper floors.Police said there was an explosion and UN officials said it was caused by a bomb."We spoke to our colleagues in Lagos, who confirmed that the explosion was caused by a bomb. But we have no further information for now," a UN spokeswoman in Geneva told AFP.A spokeswoman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs meanwhile told AFP that a colleague on site had sent an SMS message to say that the explosion "appears to have come from the gate entrance to the building."The UN building is located in Abuja's diplomatic zone, not far from the US embassy, and houses a number of United Nations agencies.Serious EscalationSecurity officials were quick to point fingers at Boko Haram, saying that the attack posed a "serious escalation" of violence."This is very likely the work of Boko Haram and, or, AQIM (al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb) and is a serious escalation in the security situation in Nigeria," a security source told Reuters."This is the worst thing that could have happened."Boko Haram strikes have spread farther afield in recent months, including a bomb in the car park of national police headquarters in the capital, Abuja, in June.Most of the attacks blamed on the sect have taken place in the country's northeast, but a number have occurred elsewhere, including the previous explosion in Abuja as well as several in Suleija near the capital.The Boko Haram says it wants a wider application of Shari`ah across Africa's most populous nation.The group launched an uprising in 2009 put down by a brutal military assault that left hundreds dead. It went dormant for about a year before reemerging in 2010 with a series of assassinations of security personnel and politicians, as well as religious and community leaders.There have been growing concerns that the sect has formed links with extremist groups outside of Nigeria, including Al-Qaeda's North African branch.President Goodluck Jonathan, sworn in for his first full term in late May, has voiced support for dialogue with Boko Haram, but the radical group has said it will only negotiate if demands including the resignation of the Borno state government are met.::/artbody::::artendnote:: ::/artendnote::::artfootnote:: ::/artfootnote::::artmainimage::oimedia/onislamen/images/mainimages/Nigeria UN Attack.jpg::/artmainimage::::artcaption::Parts of the first two floors of the UN building were blown out as rescue workers scrambled to rescue those left inside.::/artcaption::::artalt:: ::/artalt::::artauthor:: ::/artauthor::::artboximage::::/artboximage::::artinterviewer:: ::/artinterviewer::::artcompiler:: ::/artcompiler::::artreviewer:: ::/artreviewer::::arttranslator:: ::/arttranslator::::artsource::OnIslam & News Agencies::/artsource::::artreference:: ::/artreference::::artlink1::Nigerians Flee Boko Haram Attacks::/artlink1::::artlinkurl1::http://www.onislam.net/english/news/africa/453004-nigerians-flee-boko-haram-attacks.html::/artlinkurl1::::artlink2::Nigerian Muslims Condemn Militant Attacks::/artlink2::::artlinkurl2::http://onislam.net/english/news/africa/432166::/artlinkurl2::::artlink3::Nigeria Probes Army Abuses::/artlink3::::artlinkurl3::http://www.onislam.net/english/news/africa/453474-nigeria-probes-army-abuses.html::/artlinkurl3::::artlink4::Nigeria's Boko Haram::/artlink4::::artlinkurl4::http://onislam.net/english/news/africa/432136::/artlinkurl4::::artlink5::Scores Killed in Nigeria Attack::/artlink5::::artlinkurl5::http://www.onislam.net/english/news/africa/452816-scores-killed-in-nigeria-attack.html::/artlinkurl5::::button_submit::::/button_submit::::jseblodend::::/jseblodend::