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| Nigeria: multiple bomb blasts target Kano mosque | Nigeria: multiple bomb blasts target Kano mosque |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Dozens of people are feared dead after three bomb blasts near one of the biggest mosques in the northern Nigerian city of Kano, in an attack that bore the hallmarks of Islamist militants Boko Haram. | |
| Witnesses said heavy smoke could be seen billowing into the sky from a long distance away while rescue operations were under way at the bomb site, with the injured and dead being taken away from the scene. | Witnesses said heavy smoke could be seen billowing into the sky from a long distance away while rescue operations were under way at the bomb site, with the injured and dead being taken away from the scene. |
| “Two bombs exploded, one after the other, in the premises of the Grand Mosque seconds after the prayers had started,” Aminu Abdullahi told Agence France-Presse. He said a third bomb went off nearby. | “Two bombs exploded, one after the other, in the premises of the Grand Mosque seconds after the prayers had started,” Aminu Abdullahi told Agence France-Presse. He said a third bomb went off nearby. |
| Hajara Tukur, who lives nearby, said the police began firing weapons in the chaos that followed the blasts, as worshippers began running for safety. | Hajara Tukur, who lives nearby, said the police began firing weapons in the chaos that followed the blasts, as worshippers began running for safety. |
| It was not clear whether Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, the emir of Kano and one of the country’s most important religious leaders, was there at the time of the attack. | It was not clear whether Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, the emir of Kano and one of the country’s most important religious leaders, was there at the time of the attack. |
| Preaching at Kano’s Grand Mosque last week, the emir urged northerners to take up arms against Boko Haram, and cast doubt on the military’s ability to protect civilians and end the insurgency. | |
| Nigeria is home to more than 80 million Muslims, most of whom live in the north. | Nigeria is home to more than 80 million Muslims, most of whom live in the north. |
| Officially the emir is the country’s number two cleric, behind the sultan of Sokoto. Sanusi, who was named emir earlier this year, is a prominent figure in his own right, having previously served as the chief of Nigeria’s central bank, where he spoke out against government fraud. | Officially the emir is the country’s number two cleric, behind the sultan of Sokoto. Sanusi, who was named emir earlier this year, is a prominent figure in his own right, having previously served as the chief of Nigeria’s central bank, where he spoke out against government fraud. |
| An attack on Sanusi could inflame tensions in Kano, Nigeria’s second city and most populous in the north. | An attack on Sanusi could inflame tensions in Kano, Nigeria’s second city and most populous in the north. |
| Boko Haram regards the traditional Islamic religious authorities in Nigeria with disdain, considering them a corrupt, self-serving elite that is too close to the secular government. | |
| It has repeatedly attacked Kano, including on 14 November when a suicide bomb attack at a petrol station killed six people, including three police. | |
| The extremists have a record of attacking prominent clerics and in July 2012, a suicide bomber killed five people leaving Friday prayers at the home of the Shehu of Borno in the north-eastern city of Maiduguri. | The extremists have a record of attacking prominent clerics and in July 2012, a suicide bomber killed five people leaving Friday prayers at the home of the Shehu of Borno in the north-eastern city of Maiduguri. |
| The Shehu is Nigeria’s number three Islamic leader. | The Shehu is Nigeria’s number three Islamic leader. |
| In Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, civilian vigilantes said on Friday they had discovered a suspected remote-controlled device planted in the Gamboru Market area of the city. | In Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, civilian vigilantes said on Friday they had discovered a suspected remote-controlled device planted in the Gamboru Market area of the city. |
| It was successfully defused by a police bomb squad but as the bomb was being made safe, another device exploded nearby. There were no casualties, as the area had been cordoned off. | It was successfully defused by a police bomb squad but as the bomb was being made safe, another device exploded nearby. There were no casualties, as the area had been cordoned off. |
| “Our assumption is that the bombs were planted ahead of Friday prayers in the mosque just nearby,” civilian vigilante Babakura Adam said. | “Our assumption is that the bombs were planted ahead of Friday prayers in the mosque just nearby,” civilian vigilante Babakura Adam said. |