MOSCOW, January 22 (Sputnik) – Five people were killed and dozens injured on Thursday when a car bomb exploded near a hotel located next to the presidential palace in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, Sky News Arabia TV channel reported.
The blast took place ahead of a visit to the country by Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The CNN Turk TV channel reported that Al-Shabaab, an Islamic extremist group linked with al-Qaeda, has claimed responsibility for the attack.
According to CNN Turk, it is not known whether the attack was intended for the Turkish delegation, already arrived in Somali to prepare for Erdogan’s Friday visit.
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said that Erdogan will not cancel his trip to Somali because of the incident. He added that there were no members of Turkish delegation among the victims of attack.
