Suicide bomber detonates in Mogadishu mayor’s office

Police in Somalia say a suicide bomber has walked into the office of Mogadishu’s mayor during a security meeting and detonated explosives strapped to his waist.

There is no immediate information about other casualties in the blast in the capital. Police Col. Mohamed Abdi confirms the attack to The Associated Press.

It is not clear how the bomber managed to enter the mayor’s office or what officials were attending the security meeting.

The al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab extremist group often targets government offices and other high-profile targets in Mogadishu with bombings.

The Somalia-based group was chased out of Mogadishu years ago but still controls parts of the Horn of Africa nation’s south and central regions and is a frequent target of US airstrikes.

— AP