Algeria Bombing Kills at Least 24; Qaeda Wing Claims Responsibility

ALGIERS, Algeria — Al Qaeda's new wing in North Africa claimed responsibility for suicide bombings that ripped through the prime minister's office and a police station in Algeria yesterday, killing at least 24 people. The attacks highlighted the menacing spread of Islamic militancy across North Africa.

One car bombing tore holes in the walls of the prime minister's office, where people in bloodstained clothes stumbled toward ambulances.

Two other vehicles exploded outside a police station east of the capital, blasting craters into the ground and damaging the building. About 222 people were wounded.