Bombings Kill 45 in Algiers

12 UN staffers are missing after blast
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 11, 2007 7:20 AM CST
Bombings Kill 45 in Algiers
Rescuers search for survivors in the rubbles of a destroyed building near the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) offices 11 December 2007, in the Hydra district of Algiers. A UNHCR spokeswoman told AFP on Tuesday that a suicide blast outside the office of the United Nations refugee agency in Algiers...   (FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP/Getty Images)

Two car bombs exploded in upscale districts of Algiers today, killing at least 45, the AP reports. One bomb exploded near the UN's refugee agency office, and the other near the Supreme Court. Twelve UN staffers are missing. No group has claimed responsibility, but Algerians believe the attack was one of several homages to 9/11 perpetrated or attempted by al Qaeda on the 11th of each month, Reuters reports.

The explosion near the court building destroyed a bus packed with university students, AFP reports. Telephone lines are jammed, and one source said the death toll could rise as high as 60. “Al Qaeda wanted to send a strong message that it is still capable,” said one local newspaper editor. (More Algiers stories.)

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