Algerian suicide bomber targets police HQ in south

 A car bomb explodes in Tamanrasse A car bomb exploded in Tamanrasset, 2000 km south of the capital, Algiers, on Saturday morning, targeting the police headquarters. The attack caused 51 deaths, 42 of which were members of the police and seven from civil defence, in addition to two civilians, according to a medical source. Primary investigations indicate that Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb was behind the operation.
The bombing  was carried out at about 7 am Algerian time, and the explosion could be heard, according to some witnesses,  tens of kilometres away. The attack resulted in  the destruction of the  façade of the police HQ  along with a passenger bus. The Ministry of the Interior is expected to issue a statement shortly.
Meanwhile, another bomb was found near the attack location and was dismantled. Police are currently trying to identify the suicide bomber, whose body parts were scattered around the area of the attack.
Security sources declared that the attacker missed a direct hit on  his target due to the security measures taken after receiving intelligence information of an imminent terrorist assault.
Algerian security authorities have been carrying out an awareness campaign to remind citizens of the need to coordinate with the security services and report any terrorist threats.  Police  posters  pasted around the  streets in many provinces give  contact numbers through which the public can report incidents. In addition, a campaign introduced  by the Ministry of Defence informs the general public to report any information about  terrorist activities via  SMS messages on their mobile phones.
Last month the leadership of the Algerian army alerted all security units in every province to remain cautious and vigilant.
The last suicide attack in Algeria took place on August 26, 2011 in the province of Tipaza, 60 kilometres west of the capital, which targeted a Military Academy, in which 16 died  and 35  were wounded.