“At 9:10 AM, a terrorist car loaded with explosives … hit a checkpoint near the Sayidka intersection. Security forces opened fire on the car as they were speeding towards Mogadishu’s Presidential Palace.” is shown in a police statement.
Police said the suicide bomber also died in the blast.
“Thank God, the vigilance of the security forces saved the people from the threat of terrorism for the innocent Somali people,” the statement added.
There have been no immediate claims of responsibility for the attack amid a political crisis in Somalia after the term of President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo expired on February 8 without a timely election.
Saturday’s incident was the second major explosion in the Somali capital in recent weeks.
Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement broadcast by Andalus Radio, its broadcaster. CNN could not independently verify this claim.
The insurgent group seeks to turn Somalia into a fundamentalist Islamic state. He previously claimed responsibility for other attacks in Mogadishu, including a truck bombed in December that killed 85 people.