MOGADISHU, Somalia — A suicide bomber has detonated an explosives-laden truck near the gate of Somalia’s presidential palace in the capital on Tuesday, killing at least five people, police say.
The bomb exploded in the morning during a traffic jam, said Capt. Mohamed Hussein, a senior police officer.
Some Cabinet ministers at the SYL hotel were among the 10 injured, said Hussein. The blast damaged nearby hotels often frequented by government officials and business executives, he said.
The explosion was heard across Mogadishu, and smoke was seen billowing over the area of the presidential compound.
Somalia’s Islamic extremist group al-Shabab has claimed the responsibility for the blast, according to the rebels’ Andalus radio station.
-AP
