By Hassan Istiila
MOGADISHU, Somalia (AA) - At least nine people were killed in a suspected suicide car bomb attack in the capital Mogadishu on Tuesday, according to a police official.
The explosion took place outside Wadajir district headquarters, which is opposite to a busy marketplace known as Suuqa-weyn.
“The death toll may rise further; most of the dead are civilians,” Police Capt. Mohamed Abdi said.
An eyewitness Mohamed Abdirahman told Anadolu Agency he saw several injured people on the ground at the blast site.
Al-Shabaab fighters said they were behind the blast that according to the group took place when intelligence officials were holding a meeting at the district headquarters.
The blast came less than a week after al-Shabaab fighters stormed a pizza restaurant in the capital, killing at least 31 people.
Al-Shabab has carried out a series of deadly attacks in Somalia to try to topple the country's Western-backed government.