Suicide bombers detonate explosive belts during Pope Leo XIV visit in Blida, Algeria.
NEWS:
Two suicide bombers detonated explosive belts in Blida, Algeria, on April 13, 2026, as Pope Leo XIV began a historic visit to the country.
The explosions happened in Blida, about 40 to 50 kilometers southwest of Algiers. International reports described the incidents as two attacks of a terrorist nature. The two bombers were killed. Several people were reported wounded, but no official casualty list was released in the material reviewed.
Verified video from the scene showed two bodies lying in the street after the explosions. Other footage described in the reporting showed one of the attackers near a police position before an explosion, with an officer falling at the moment of the blast and then getting back up without visible serious injury. The videos confirm the explosions and the immediate aftermath in Blida. They do not independently identify the attackers, their organization, their motive or who directed them.
The first attack was reported near the corner of Boulevard Boudiaf and Rue Palestine. A later account placed the second blast about 250 meters away, near Boulevard Boudiaf and Rue Belkacem El-Ouzri, close to the perimeter wall of the Blida provincial police headquarters.
Early reports said the attackers were wearing explosive belts and were trying to reach separate targets. One reported target was a police facility. Another was described in early coverage as a private sports complex or a nearby commercial area on Boulevard Mohamed Boudiaf. Later reporting focused more directly on the police perimeter and the provincial security headquarters area.
Some early accounts said police fired at the attackers before they reached their targets. Later reporting said the explosive belts detonated prematurely, killing the bombers and preventing a higher death toll. No armed group publicly claimed responsibility in the accessible material reviewed.
The timing made the attacks politically and symbolically significant. Pope Leo XIV was in Algeria on April 13 for the first papal visit to the country. Official Vatican material confirms he was in Algiers that day and delivered an address at the Maqam Echahid Martyrs’ Monument. The papal schedule continued after the Blida explosions.
No confirmed link was established between the attacks and the Pope’s presence in Algeria. Several reports noted the timing, but the available evidence did not prove that the visit was the operational motive or that the papal delegation was a target.
Algerian authorities did not issue a public confirmation in the accessible material reviewed. The lack of an official statement became part of the story because the attacks occurred during a heavily controlled and high-profile diplomatic visit. The African Union initially issued a condemnation of the double attack, then withdrew it. A spokesperson later said the information behind the statement had not been corroborated by official sources.
The absence of official confirmation created conflicting public claims. Some accounts described the blasts as suicide attacks. Other social media claims tried to frame the explosions as unrelated incidents or older footage. Later verification by international reporting supported the existence of the two Blida attacks, while still leaving some details unresolved because Algerian authorities did not publish a full account.
The most solid elements are the date, the location, the two explosions, the death of the two bombers, the presence of verified footage from Blida and the proximity in time to Pope Leo XIV’s arrival in Algeria. The unresolved points include the final number of wounded, the attackers’ identities, whether they belonged to a larger cell, whether anyone helped them, and whether their chosen timing was directly connected to the papal visit.
The footage shows the physical aftermath with bodies in the street and confirms the violent nature of the blasts. The broader claims about targets, intent and operational planning depend on reporting from sources familiar with the case and on witness accounts, not on an official Algerian statement.
News story written by DarkGore.
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