Twin suicide attacks rocked Algeria Monday during Pope's visit

Tensions are rising in Algeria after reports of a suspected double suicide attack shook the city of Blida, just southwest of the capital, Algiers.

According to a source close to the case, two individuals detonated explosives Monday afternoon, killing themselves in what’s being described as incidents of a terrorist nature. Video footage verified by AFP shows two severely mutilated bodies lying in the street, as bystanders gathered and attempted to cover them amid light rain.

The timing is striking. The reported blasts came just hours after Pope Leo the Fourteenth arrived in Algiers, marking a historic first visit by a sitting pope to the country. Authorities had already put tight security measures in place, though no direct link has been established between the visit and the incidents.

Confusion still surrounds what exactly happened. Algerian officials have not confirmed the attack, and even the African Union walked back an earlier condemnation, saying the information could not be verified.

While Algeria continues to battle remnants of armed Islamist groups from its civil war era, attacks of this kind have become increasingly rare in recent years.