( CNN ) -- At least 14 people were killed and 60 others wounded Thursday when a bomb ripped through a crowd waiting to see Algeria 's president in Batna , east of the capital of Algiers , the Algerie Presse Service reported . A wounded person gets first aid shortly after Thursday 's attack in Batna , Algeria . The explosion occurred at 5 p.m. about 20 meters ( 65 feet ) from a mosque in Batna , a town about 450 kilometers ( 280 miles ) east of Algiers , security officials in Batna told the state-run news agency . The bomb went off 15 minutes before the expected arrival of President Abdel-Aziz Bouteflika . It was n't clear if the bomb was caused by a suicide bomber or if it was planted , the officials said . Later Thursday , Algeria 's Interior Minister Noureddine Yazid Zerhouni said `` a suspect person who was among the crowd attempted to go beyond the security cordon , '' but the person escaped `` immediately after the bomb exploded , '' the press service reported . Bouteflika made his visit to Batna as planned , adding a stop at a hospital to visit the wounded before he returned to the capital . There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing . Algeria faces a continuing Islamic insurgency , according to the CIA . In July , 33 people were killed in apparent suicide bombings in Algiers that were claimed by an al Qaeda-affiliated group . Bouteflika said terrorist acts have nothing in common with the noble values of Islam , the press service reported . E-mail to a friend . CNN 's Mohammed Tawfeeq contributed to this report .
Bomb victims waiting for presidential visit . The White House said Obama would be visiting the site of a deadly attack in New York City on Tuesday and will meet with victims' families. Algeria faces Islamic insurgency . Al Qaeda-affiliated group claimed July attacks .