Suicide bomber strikes Nigerian church

KADUNA, Nigeria — A suicide car bomber detonated his explosives Sunday at a Catholic church holding Mass in northern Nigeria, injuring a number of worshippers and killing several people, officials and witnesses said.

The attack happened in the Malali neighborhood of Kaduna, a city on the dividing line between Nigeria’s largely Christian south and Muslim north where reli- gious rioting has killed hundreds in recent years.

The car tried to force its way past the gate at St. Rita’s Catholic church just before it exploded, witnesses at the church said.

Yushua Shuaib, a spokesman for Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency, also said initial information suggested the attack was by a suicide bomber in a car. He said “a number of casualties” had been taken to local hospitals, but could not give a specific number.

Saidu Adamu, a spokesman for Kaduna state government, said it appeared some people had been killed, but officials still were uncertain how many died.

Police officers and soldiers surrounded the site of the blast. Security officials could not be immediately reached for comment.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, which comes as the Muslims in the nation are celebrating the Eid al Adha holiday in Nigeria.