'Boko Haram' video claims newspaper attack, threatens media

A video purportedly from Islamist group Boko Haram on Tuesday showed footage of last week's attack on a Nigerian newspaper and threatens news outlets, including two foreign organisations. The YouTube video includes spoken threats against several Nigerian news organisations as well as the Voice of America and Radio France International services in the Hausa language, which is spoken in northern Nigeria. The voiceover divides the news media into three categories. One is outlets that have already been attacked, namely ThisDay newspaper; the second groups those Boko Haram is ready to attack now, including VOA; and the third is for those on the verge of being targeted, including Radio France, the voice says. "These media outlets have committed serious crimes that are harmful to Islam, which we can't forgive," says the voiceover. "We must take our pound of flesh." At several points in the video, footage is shown of the suicide bombing of ThisDay's office Thursday in the capital Abuja, where five people were killed, including a security guard, three passers-by and the attacker. The video is taken from a distance, but a sport utility vehicle can be clearly seen entering the gate of the newspaper's office, quickly followed by a powerful explosion and a burst of flames. A voice, apparently that of the person filming, says "Allahu Akbar" (God is greatest). Another portion of the video shows a person portrayed as the suicide bomber for the newspaper attack, at one stage holding an AK-47 assault rifle, at another time waving from inside a vehicle. The attack Thursday was one of two targeting the media. A complex housing several newspaper offices, including for ThisDay, was also bombed the same day at roughly the same time, killing four people. The bombings were the first such attacks against news media in Nigeria, which has been hit by months of deadly violence attributed to Boko Haram.