Deadly suicide blast hits Somalia's Mogadishu

At least three people killed in explosion that targeted local government offices. At least three people have been killed in a suicide attack that targeted Somalia's capital Mogadishu. The explosion hit local government offices on Sunday, destroying the building and a school opposite. Plumes of smoke were seen rising from the scene. "There was a car bomb blast targeting the district administration offices and three people died and several others wounded," Salah Hassan Omar, spokesman for the Mogadishu administration told reporters at the scene. Ambulances took casualties to hospitals as people searched through the rubble for survivors, a witness told Reuters news agency. The blast also blew off the roof of a mosque and damaged houses nearby. Mohamed Hussein, another police officer, told The Associated Press that the bomber tried to speed through a checkpoint but was stopped by security forces, prompting him to detonate the vehicle near the gate of Howlwadag district headquarters. He said the wounded are mostly young students from a nearby school. The armed group Al-Shabab claimed responsibilty for the attack, which shattered a period of calm in the seaside capital. The al-Qaeda-linked group is fighting to overthrow the UN-backed government in Mogadishu. More to follow SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES