MOGADISHU, May 3 (AP): At least seven people were killed Saturday, among them a prominent Somali official, in a bomb attack in the centre of the Somali capital Mogadishu, police and security officials said.
Security sources said they believed a bomb was attached to a car being driven by Abdikafi Hilowle, a police official and former secretary for the city's administration, and detonated remotely. Other officials said the blast may have been from a roadside bomb.
The attack took place near the busy KM4 junction in central Mogadishu, close to the Turkish embassy.
"Several people have been killed, there are at least seven, including four civilians and three policemen," police officer Mohammed Duale told AFP at the scene.
"It was apparently targeting a former official who died in the attack, some of his security guards were also among the dead," added Abdi Osmail, a Somali security official, told AFP.
Witnesses saw the official's dead body being removed from the destroyed car, although one witness said the corpse had been "burned beyond recognition".
"The security forces sealed off the area opening fire to disperse approaching onlookers, it was a horrible scene. A mother and her children were also among the casualties," said eyewitness Muhidin Adan.
Somali official among seven killed in Mogadishu bombing
FE Team | Published: May 04, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00
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