Suicide attack kills four at Somali police station, al-Shabaab suspected

Published May 9th, 2016 - 01:00 GMT
Somali security forces personnel and police secure the area at the scene of a car bomb explosion in Mogadishu, Somalia on May 9, 2016. (AFP/Mohamed Abdiwahab)
Somali security forces personnel and police secure the area at the scene of a car bomb explosion in Mogadishu, Somalia on May 9, 2016. (AFP/Mohamed Abdiwahab)

Four people were killed and six injured in a suicide attack on a police headquarters in Somali capital Mogadishu on Monday, officials said.

An explosion at the offices of the traffic police in Abdiaziz district killed two police officers and two militants were shot dead, police official Mohamed Hassan said.

An eyewitness told Anadolu Agency that a violent explosion was followed by an intense exchange of gunfire for around five minutes. Flames were seen rising above the police premises.

Abdelfattah Omar Halni, spokesman for the city authorities, said the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber with an explosive belt.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility but similar attacks have been carried out by al-Shabaab, the al-Qaeda-linked militant group.

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