A small terrorist group based outside Nigeria not militants from the oil-producing Niger Delta carried out last week's car bomb attacks in the capital Abuja, President Goodluck Jonathan said on Sunday.

Two car bombs exploded near a parade marking Nigeria's 50th anniversary of independence in the capital Abuja on Friday, killing at least 12 people. [ID:nLDE691054

The attacks were claimed by Nigeria's main militant group, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND).

A MEND statement signed Jomo Gbomo -- the pseudonym used by the group to claim previous attacks on Nigeria's oil industry -- was emailed to media warning the area should be evacuated an hour before the Abuja bombs went off.

But Jonathan said investigations had revealed MEND members knew nothing about the attacks and they had been carried out by a small group based outside Nigeria, sponsored by "unpatriotic elements within the country".

"It is a small terrorist group that resides outside Nigeria that was paid by some people within to perpetrate the dastardly act," Jonathan said, according to a statement from his office.

"We are on their trail and I promise Nigerians that the matter will be investigated to the last and until everybody is brought to book, we will not rest."

Jonathan said on Saturday those responsible had used the MEND name to "camouflage criminality and terrorism".

Read More: http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/National/5626490-146/foreign-based_group_behind_bomb_attacks_-.csp

what is breaking in the news.

Alxmyr:

what is breaking in the news.

the fact that MEND is not involved

since when did nigeria became so big a country to even attract terrorist Its all lies our politicians are the ones behind it remember 2011 elections is here already and this is just the beginning of their atrocities to get political positions.