UN, Abuja bomb blast

At least 18 people have been killed in an apparent suicide car
bombing at the United Nations headquarters in the Nigerian
capital, Abuja.
The powerful blast destroyed the lower floors of the building. Dozens
have been injured, some critically.
A spokesman for the Islamist group Boko Haram told the BBC in a phone
call that it had carried out the attack.
UN chief Ban Ki-moon said the attack was "an assault on those who
devote their lives to helping others".
Speaking before Boko Haram's statement, President Goodluck Jonathan
reaffirmed his government's "total commitment" to combating terrorism,
and said his administration would "spare no effort to bring the
perpetrators to justice".
In Friday morning's attack, a car crashed through two security barriers
and rammed into the building's reception before exploding, witnesses
said.
Hospitals are said to be overwhelmed by the number of injured and have
appealed for blood donations.
Boko Haram, which is fighting for the
establishment of Sharia law in Nigeria, also said
it carried out a car bombing at police
headquarters in June.
A UN official in Nigeria, who spoke to the BBC
on condition of anonymity, said the UN had
stepped up security at all its buildings in Nigeria
in the past month after receiving information
that the UN could be targeted by Boko Haram.
Analysts say that the scale and target of the
attack could point to a link with international
terror groups.
'Shock on faces'
Police have sealed off the area and the BBC's Bashir Sa'ad Abdullahi
there says that although rescue work is ongoing, the major search
operation has been completed.
Cranes have been brought to the blast site to move the mass of rubble
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