'Islamists' arrested after Nigerian police shootout

KANO, Nigeria (AFP) — Eight suspected members of a Nigerian Islamist sect blamed for scores of attacks were arrested after a shootout with police but no one was wounded, authorities said Thursday.

Gunmen opened fire on police patrols on a highway linking Yobe and Bauchi states in the country's northeast on Wednesday, resulting in a shootout, police spokesman Abdulkadir Song said.

"Police patrol teams succeeded in arresting eight gunmen suspected to be members of Boko Haram in a shootout while other members of the group fled," Song said.

"Investigation has commenced to determine their true identity, but the initial suspicion is that they are Boko Haram."

The Islamist sect known as Boko Haram has been blamed for scores of bomb blasts and shootings, mainly in the country's northeast.

There have been growing fears that the sect has sought to form links with Islamist groups outside of Nigeria, including Al-Qaeda's north Africa branch.