Car bomb explodes near Nigeria church; 10 killed

Posted: Mar 12, 2012 9:49 AM by AP

JOS, Nigeria (AP) - A suicide car bomber has attacked a Nigerian church in the middle of Sunday Mass, killing at least 10 people and injuring many others.

The bomb detonated as worshippers attended the final Mass of the day at St. Finbar's Catholic Church in Jos (jahs), a city where thousands have died in the last decade in religious and ethnic violence.

A government spokesman said security at the gate of the church's compound stopped the suspicious car and the bomber detonated his explosives during an altercation that followed.

No group immediately claimed responsibility though Jos has been targeted in the past by the Islamist sect Boko Haram. The group claimed a similar church bombing on Feb. 26 on the headquarters of the Church of Christ that killed three people and wounded 38 others.

The Reverend Peter Umoren, a parish priest, says the bomb went off during Sunday Mass.

Topics: Car, bomb, explodes, near, Nigeria, church; 10 killed