2007 Batna bombing
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| 2007 Batna bombings | |
|---|---|
.svg) Batna province | |
| Location | Batna, Algeria |
| Date | 6 September 2007 |
| Target | Abdelaziz Bouteflika |
Attack type | suicide bombings |
| Deaths | 15—22 |
| Injured | 70—107 |
| Perpetrators | al-Qaeda Organization in the Islamic Maghreb |
The 2007 Batna bombing took place on 6 September 2007 in Batna, a town in Batna Province, eastern Algeria.
The bombing, which took place shortly before the visit of Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, resulted in 15-20 deaths[1][2][3] and 107 injuries[4] as the bomber detonated his device among a crowd waiting to see the President,[2] who was at the end of a three-day tour of eastern Algeria.[5]
The suicide bomber was among the crowd awaiting outside the Al-Atik mosque[3] the arrival of President Bouteflika when his device, a "plastic bag containing the explosive"[1] and his "agitated" manner[6] was noticed 45 minutes prior to the Presidents arrival.[3] This forced the bomber, a "man aged 30 to 35"[3] to detonate his device prematurely as police approached him.[1][7] However it is unknown whether the bomber himself escaped the blast,[1][3] however interior minister Noureddine Yazid was quoted by the Algerian news agency APS as stating that the bomber had escaped through a security cordon.[3]