By DPA
Algiers : An Algerian group linked to the terrorist network Al Qaeda has claimed responsibility for a suicide strike by a car bomber who killed at least three police officers in northern Algeria.
Twelve people were reported wounded by the blast outside a police station in Naciria, a hotbed of Algerian militant groups about 50 km east of the capital Algiers. At least three police officers and the attacker were killed, the Algerian Interior Ministry said.
The bomber drove Wednesday morning up to the Naciria police station, which was destroyed. The blast left a large crater in the street and severely damaged surrounding buildings.
The blast follows a Dec 11 terrorist strike in which 41 people were killed, including 17 UN employees, in two suicide attacks in Algiers, for which the same group purporting to represent Al Qaeda in the Maghreb claimed responsibility.