An al-Qaeda linked man, who recently returned from Somalia, was today named by Nigerian secret police as the mastermind behind last week's terror attack on the UN headquarters here that killed at least 23 people.
Announcing the arrest of two other suspects, the State Security Service (SSS) named one Mamman Nur, a member of the radical Islamist sect Boko Haram, as a wanted man in the suicide bombing of the UN headquarters on August 26.
They said Nur was linked to the al-Qaeda.
The two suspects being held were identified as Babagana Ismail Kwaljima and Babagana Mali.
The SSS said Nur "orchestrated" the deadly attack and that two members of the sect, who were in their custody, were giving valuable statements regarding the bombing.
"Investigation has revealed that one Mamman Nur, a notorious Boko Haram element with al-Qaeda links who returned recently from Somalia, working in concert with two suspects, masterminded the attack on the United Nations building in Abuja," the SSS said in a statement.
The secret police urged the public to give information regarding the whereabouts of the suspect, if available.
The blast, carried out by a suicide bomber who rammed his explosives landed Honda SUV into the UN building, also left 76 persons injured.
Boko Haram announced later that it was behind the attack.
