(CNN) – At least one person was killed and 10 injured in a car bomb that exploded near Somalia’s presidential palace in Mogadishu Saturday morning, police and hospital officials said.
“At 9:10 am, a terrorist car loaded with explosives … collided with a checkpoint at the Sayidka intersection. The security forces opened fire on the car as they rushed to the presidential palace in Mogadishu, ”a police statement read. Police said the suicide bomber was also killed in the explosion.
“Thank goodness the vigilance of the security forces has saved people from the threat of terrorism posed to the innocent Somali people,” the statement said.
There was no immediate claim to responsibility for the attack that takes place during a political crisis in Somalia after the tenure of the country’s president, Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo, ended on February 8 without timely elections.
Saturday’s incident was the second major explosion in the Somali capital in recent weeks.
Five people, as well as four attackers, died at the Afrik Hotel on January 31. The deadly siege wounded 10 other civilians and ended after Somali security forces fought militants for eight hours.
Al-Shabaab has claimed responsibility for this attack through a statement from Andalus Radio, its spokesman channel. CNN has not been able to independently verify this claim.
The insurgent group is trying to make Somalia a fundamentalist Islamic state. He had previously claimed responsibility for other attacks in Mogadishu, including a truck bomb in December that killed 85 people.