Terrorist attack in Algeria kills 24 people

A suicide car bomber drove into a gendarme headquarters Saturday in southern Algeria, injuring 24 people and killing himself, the Internet site of the Arab-language daily En Nahar said.

Ten gendarmes (armed para-military soldiers) and 14 civilians were taken to hospital after the attack in Tamanrasset, 1,970 kilometres (1,220 miles) south of Algiers, the first of its kind in that part of the country.

Some of the injured were said to be in critical condition, while the suicide bomber was blown apart in the blast, which also caused major damage to the building, dawn.com world reports.