Mauritanian police were searching Thursday for two suspected Al-Qaeda members behind an attempted car bombing foiled by the army, a security source said.
On Wednesday Mauritania's army blew up a car packed with explosives, preventing an attack which the north African Al-Qaeda branch claimed was aimed at assassinating President Ould Abdel Aziz.
"The two men were spotted in El Bezzoule in Trarza and were attacked by a police vehicle," said the security source.
"The two members of AQMI gave the impression they were about to flee but then turned against their pursuers, injuring at least one" before escaping.
Reinforcements have been sent to the southern Trarza region to find the fugitives who are hiding in a forest in the valley of the Senegal River and seeking to cross into Senegal, the source said.
News reports citing witnesses said the policeman injured in the incident has died and that his gun was taken by the suspects.
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