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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Mauritania bomber targets embassy | Mauritania bomber targets embassy |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| A suicide bomber has set off an explosion outside the French embassy in the Mauritanian capital, Nouakchott. | A suicide bomber has set off an explosion outside the French embassy in the Mauritanian capital, Nouakchott. |
| Two guards at the embassy were slightly wounded, and the bomber died. | Two guards at the embassy were slightly wounded, and the bomber died. |
| The bomber had been wearing a belt packed with explosives which he detonated at 1900 (1900 GMT), just outside the embassy compound wall. | The bomber had been wearing a belt packed with explosives which he detonated at 1900 (1900 GMT), just outside the embassy compound wall. |
| The blast comes three days after Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, who took power in a coup last year, was sworn in as president after recent elections. | The blast comes three days after Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, who took power in a coup last year, was sworn in as president after recent elections. |
| No immediate claim of responsibility was reported. | |
| Mauritanian authorities have blamed Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, which has been active in several north-western African states, for previous attacks. | |
| These included an attack by gunmen on the Israeli embassy in Nouakchott in February last year, and the killing of four French tourists in December 2007. | |
| In June, the group claimed the killing of a US aid worker who was working in Mauritania. | |
| General Abdelaziz promised to tackle terrorism after his recent election victory. |