Nigerian terror sect seen tied to Al Qaida

November 15, 2011

A Nigerian prelate is not surprised by reports that the Boko Haram sect has ties to Al Qaida.

A Nigerian newspaper, The Vanguard, revealed that Boko Haram members were trained in building explosives at an Al Qaida camp in Algeria.

Archbishop Ignatius Ayau Kaigama of Jos said that the report, if accurate, would confirm “what we have been suspecting for some time, namely that there must be a foreign hand in the Boko Haram operations.” He said that until recently there was no evidence that the group had the technical expertise to make bombs.

The archbishop said that a connection between Boko Haram and Al Qaida would add to the tensions in “an arc of crisis stretching from North Africa to West Africa, a risk heightened by the large number of weapons circulating in the region from the arsenals of the army of the former Libyan dictator Qaddafi.”

 

---

For all current news, visit our News home page.

---

 
Further information:

• Links between the Boko Haram sect and Al Qaeda: "confirms our suspicions", says the Archbishop of Jos (Fides)