Explosion rocks Somali capital, injures Mogadishu mayor

The mayor of Somalia’s capital Mogadishu and several other officials have been wounded in an explosion that hit local government headquarters.

“A suicide bomber walked into the meeting hall and blew up himself," a relative of one of the victims told Reuters on Wednesday.

Mohamed Abdullahi added that his cousin and the mayor of Mogadishu were among the local officials hurt in the attack.

Shopkeeper Mohamed Osman said the area was packed with ambulances after the explosion.

However, a security official said  

"The blast occurred inside but we are not sure what exactly caused it, some reports we are getting indicate it was caused by a suicide bomber... and there are casualties," said al Mahdi Abdirahman.

He did not give further details on the wounded.

"The blast was very heavy, and I saw people, fleeing some with shrapnel wounds outside the Banadir administration headquarters," said witness Mohamud Shariif, referring to the regional government offices.

There were no immediate details about casualty numbers and no one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, which bore the hallmarks of the al-Qaeda-linked al Shabaab Takfiri militant group.

SS