Blast Kills At Least 21 in Nigerian Capital During World Cup Match

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A bomb rocked the Nigerian capital of Abuja on Wednesday, killing at least 21.

Image: @Nando_sucre

By Colin Daileda2014-06-25 18:06:45 UTC

A car bomb ripped through a busy shopping center in the Nigerian capital of Abuja on Wednesday as soccer fans were watching their team play Argentina.

At least 21 people were killed in the explosion, according to the Associated Press.

See also: Nigerian Terrorists Abduct Another 91 Children

No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack which comes just days after a suicide bomber attacked a World Cup viewing center on June 17 in Damaturu, a city in northern Nigeria, killing at least 14. The attack, however, bears the hallmark of the radical Islamist group Boko Haram which has conducted a campaign of violence in Nigeria recently.

At the scene of the explosion on Wednesday, blood-stained shoppers ran screaming from the the blast site as emergency workers tried to evacuate people to nearby medical facilities, according to witnesses.

The blast, near a crowded shopping complex, reportedly ripped through several cars, shattering windows and shook nearby buildings. In the minutes following the explosion, black smoke could be seen billowing above the carnage.

The video below shows emergency officials hosing down hollowed-out cars.

Boko Haram is notorious for car bomb attacks such as this. In April, two explosions killed more than 120 people and wounded about 200 at a busy bus station in Abuja. Boko Haram took responsibility for both attacks.

As late as yesterday, Boko Haram made news, allegedly kidnapping 91 children from a northeastern village. The radicals gained worldwide notoriety in April when they abducted more than 200 girls, who are still missing.

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Topics: argentina, Boko Haram, Bomb, nigeria, Sports, US & World, World, world cup