Three killed as suicide bomber hits near presidential palace in Somalia

MOGADISHU, Somalia - A suicide bomber walked into a restaurant in Mogadishu and detonated explosives strapped to his waist, killing three people and badly wounding seven other, Somali police said Wednesday.

The attack ripped through BLUE SKY eatery located near the national theatre, about 100 meters away from the heavily fortified Presidential Palace known as Villa Somalia which houses the country's top leaders, including the president.

"At least three people lost their lives, among them a shoeshiner child and wounded several others when a bomber detonated himself outside BLUE SKY restaurant," said Ismael Mukhtar with Somalia's Ministry of Information.

A Somali police official who spoke to Garowe Online on condition of anonymity said the bomber targeted intelligence officers and presidential guard unit members at the all-time busy restaurant.

The blast comes a day before the leaders of the Federal Government and the Federal States convene a crucial meeting to end differences over the model of the upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections slated for 2020-2021.

Security officials said Wednesday's attack appeared to be a shift in tactics, as the extremists in the past had rarely managed to infiltrate heavily fortified government buildings without first detonating one or more vehicle bombs.

Last month, five militants stormed the high-end Elite Hotel in Lido beach, detonated a car bomb, and then opened fire with assault rifles, the latest attack by Al-Shabaab, which has been battling the country's central government since 2008.

Somalia has been embroiled in violence since 1991 when clan warlords overthrew leader Mohamed Siad Barre and then turned on each other.

GAROWE ONLINE