Al-Qaeda today appeared to have claimed responsibility for three deadly car bomb blasts targeting the Algerian Prime Minister and police, which killed at least 23 people and injured 160 others in the capital city Algiers.

The first explosion, at the six-storey city centre offices of the Prime Minister, Abdelaziz Belkhadem, shattered windows and showered rubble onto cars and surrounding buildings this morning, killing at least 12 and injuring 118 at 10.45am local time. A police source later told Reuters that a suicide bomber had caused the blast by driving his car into a guard post.

Shortly afterwards, two other near-simultaneous suicide car bombings took place outside a police station at Bab Ezzouar, in the capital's eastern outskirts near the airport, which killed 11 and injured 44 more, the country's civil defence department confirmed.

In a statement issued after the explosions, Mr Belkhadem – who was uninjured – called the attacks a "cowardly, criminal, terrorist act."

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Al-Qaeda is reportedly trying to unify jihadist factions in Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco and Libya under one banner

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This afternoon, Al-Jazeera television reported that a caller who said he was al-Qaeda's branch leader in North Africa had claimed responsibility for the explosions.

The attacks represent a devastating setback for Algeria as the country attempts to close a violent chapter in its history, which saw 200,000 killed in an Islamic insurgency.

Violence recently started increasing in the aftermath of a decision by the country's main guerrilla group, the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC), to adopt a new name and deepen its ties to al Qaeda.

The north African group, now known as al-Qaeda Organisation in the Islamic Maghreb – feared by France as its main terrorist threat – has claimed responsibility for a number of deadly bombings in Algeria targeting security forces and foreigners.

The attacks come a day after three suspected GSPC militants wanted in connection with the March 11 bombing of an internet café blew themselves up in Casablanca, Morocco – killing themselves and one policeman – as security forces closed in. A fourth militant, wearing an explosives belt, was shot dead by police as he wielded a sword.

Today, police were scouring the Moroccan capital for 10 possible suicide bombers.

In a statement, police said: "We are searching Casablanca for about 10 extremely dangerous terrorists, as they are ready like those yesterday to blow themselves up."

One Algerian member of the former-GSPC was Haydar Abu Doha – an associate of Osama bin Laden known in militant circles as "The Doctor". London-based Abu Doha was indicted in 2001 for masterminding the "millennium eve" plot to blow up Los Angeles LAX airport. He is in Britain, fighting extradition.

Algeria descended into near-anarchy in 1992 after the military-backed authorities scrapped a parliamentary election that an Islamist political party – not tied to the GSPC – was set to win. Up to 200,000 people died in the bloodshed that followed.

The killing has subsided in recent years following several amnesties for insurgents but rumbles on in mountains east of Algiers.

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