Catholic church in Nigerian capital Abuja hit by explosion during Christmas Mass

A second explosion was subsequently heard in the central Nigerian town of Jos.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, though Nigeria has been hit by scores of bomb blasts and shootings attributed to Islamist group Boko Haram.

The group claimed responsibility for the August suicide bombing of UN headquarters in Abuja that killed at least 24 people.

Attacks blamed on Boko Haram followed by a heavy military crackdown in the country's northeast in recent days killed up to 100 people, authorities and a rights group have said.

Last year, a series of Christmas Eve bombings in the central Nigerian city of Jos claimed by Boko Haram killed at least 32 people and wounded at least 74 others.

With those attacks in mind, the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria's capital of Abuja had issued a warning Friday to citizens to be "particularly vigilant" around churches, large crowds and areas where foreigners congregate.

In the last year, the sect has carried out increasingly bloody attacks in its campaign to implement strict Shariah law across Nigeria, a nation of more than 160 million people with a largely Christian south and a Muslim north.

Source: http://feeds.newadvent.org/~r/bestoftheweb/~3/WjL9CuUXCgw/Church-in-Nigerian-capital-Abuja-hit-by-explosion.html

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