EU condemns UN building bombing in Nigeria

(BRUSSELS) - European Union president Herman Van Rompuy denounced Friday the "senseless" and "brutal" suicide bombing against the UN compound in the Nigerian capital Abuja.

"I was deeply saddened by the loss of life in the brutal attack on a United Nations building in Abuja today," Van Rompuy said in a message to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

"I extend my heartfelt sympathies to the families and friends of the victims, and to you and your UN colleagues. The European Union strongly condemns this senseless act of violence towards the UN and its personnel," he said.

Witnesses reported that the bomb went off after a suspect forced his way through security and rammed the car into the building, killing at least 18 people.

European Parliament president Jerzy Buzek said attacking the UN "is an attack on the whole international community".

"The United Nations is in Nigeria to assist the Nigerian people; it is therefore all the more shocking that this attack occurred. The European Parliament condemns this heinous act," he said in a statement.