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Nigeria unrest: Kano mosque explosions 'kill dozens' | |
(about 1 hour later) | |
Dozens of people have been killed in explosions during Friday prayers at one of the biggest mosques in the Nigerian city of Kano, reports say. | |
Many more people have been hurt, with one rescue official putting casualty figures at just under 200. | |
The Central Mosque is where the influential Muslim leader, the Emir of Kano, usually leads prayers. | |
The emir recently called for people to arm themselves against Islamist militant group Boko Haram. | |
The group has killed more than 2,000 people this year, rights groups say. | |
Some reports said there was gunfire in Kano after the explosions. | |
The rescue official, speaking to Agence France-Presse, put the casualty toll at 64 dead and 126 hurt, although this has not been independently confirmed. | |
One worshipper, Aminu Abdullahi, told the agency: "Two bombs exploded, one after the other, in the premises of the Grand Mosque seconds after the prayers had started." | |
He said the third blast was on a nearby road. | |
BBC Hausa editor Mansur Liman said one witness at a local hospital had described the scenes there as being the most horrible he had ever seen. | |
Our editor says Boko Haram will be the main suspects, as the attack bore all the hallmarks of the group. | |
'Call for anarchy' | |
The emir, Muhammad Sanusi, is currently in Saudi Arabia. | |
Reliable sources in the emir's palace told the BBC that he had arrived in Saudi Arabia late on Thursday night from Paris. | |
Boko Haram has targeted the city, the largest in northern Nigeria, several times during its five-year insurgency. | |
But most of its attacks are further east. | But most of its attacks are further east. |
Earlier this month, the emir told a prayer meeting that people should "acquire what they need" to protect themselves. | |
A police spokesman said the emir's comments were a "call for anarchy" and should not be acted on. | |
The emir, who until earlier this year was governor of Nigeria's central bank, normally stays silent on political matters. | |
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