South African prosecutors brought terrorism charges against Nigerian militant leader Henry Okah on Monday for deadly bomb blasts in the Nigerian capital. Two car bombs exploded near a parade in Abuja marking Nigeria's 50th anniversary of independence on Friday, killing at least 10 people and injuring 36, according to police.
Prosecutors at a court in Johannesburg charged Okah, who lives in South Africa, with conspiracy to commit a terrorist act and the detonation of explosive devices in Abuja. His lawyer denied his involvement. "The accused is linked to the bombing that took place in Abuja," said Hein Louw, the magistrate overseeing the court proceeding.
The attacks were claimed by Nigeria's main militant group, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND). Security experts believe Okah - who accepted a government amnesty last year after gun-running and treason charges against him were dropped - was at one time the brains behind MEND, although he has denied ever being its leader.