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Who are Boko Haram and why are they considered dangerous?
A look at recent major attacks in Nigeria attributed to the radical Muslim sect known locally as Boko Haram:
December 25: The sect claims responsibility for an attack on a Catholic church in Madalla near Nigeria’s capital that kills at least 25 people, as bombers attack authorities in the northeast and its members attempt to attack a church in Jos.
December 22-24: Sect members fight with police and military forces around the city of Damaturu, leaving at least 61 people dead.
November 4: Sect members bomb government buildings and shoot their way through the city of Damaturu, killing more than 100 people, while bombs and a suicide attack in Maiduguri leave 4 dead.
August 26: A sect member detonates a car loaded with explosives at the United Nations headquarters in Nigeria’s capital Abuja, killing 24 people and wounding another 116.
June 16: A car loaded with explosives detonates at the federal police headquarters in Abuja, killing at least two people. Police first call the attack a suicide bombing, but later deny it.
April 9: Gunmen from the sect set fire to the Maiduguri International Hotel and kill a politician ahead of local elections.
