A car bomb exploded at a shopping mall in Somalia’s capital, killing two people and injuring four others in an attack probably by Islamist group al Shabaab, police said.
The blast occurred in Mogadishu’s Hamarweyne district, a busy area with shops and restaurants.
“So far, we know two civilians died and four others were injured. It was a car bomb that exploded in front of a Mogadishu shopping mall,” police officer, Mohamed Hussein, told Reuters.
The number of casualties may rise, he said.
A Reuters witness saw one dead person, and four cars burned with a restaurant destroyed.
Al Shabaab frequently carries out bombings in Mogadishu and elsewhere in Somalia against government and other targets.
The group is trying to remove the Western-backed central government and establish its own rule based on its strict interpretation of sharia law.
Al Shabaab militants also attack outside Somalia, especially in Kenya to pressure it to withdraw troops who are part of an AU peacekeeping force that helps defend central government.
Its latest assault in Kenya, a suicide and gun attack at an office and hotel complex in the capital Nairobi last month killed 21 people.
