Expand / Collapse search
Watch TV
Menu

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2024 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper.

GLOBAL ECONOMY

Suicide car bomber outside Mogadishu airport kills 3: Police

Associated Press
Published | Updated
  • 93326175-
    Image 1 of 3

    Somali soldiers walk near a vehicle, at the scene of a suicide car bomb attack in Mogadishu, Somalia, Monday, Jan. 2, 2017. A suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden vehicle at a security checkpoint near Mogadishu's international airport Monday, killing at least three people, a Somali police officer said. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh) (The Associated Press)

  • 189f0804-
    Image 2 of 3

    A Somali soldier patrols the area of a suicide car bomb attack in Mogadishu, Somalia, Monday, Jan. 2, 2017. A suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden vehicle at a security checkpoint near Mogadishu's international airport Monday, killing at least three people, a Somali police officer said. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh) (The Associated Press)

  • 8404110e-
    Image 3 of 3

    Somali soldiers filter through the debris of a destroyed building near the scene of a suicide car bomb attack in Mogadishu, Somalia, Monday, Jan, 2, 2017. A suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden vehicle at a security checkpoint near Mogadishu's international airport Monday, killing at least three people, a Somali police officer said. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh) (The Associated Press)

MOGADISHU, Somalia – A Somali police officer says a suicide car bomber detonated an explosives-laden vehicle at a security checkpoint near Mogadishu's international airport, killing at least three people.

Capt. Mohamed Hussein says the car bomber detonated the bomb Monday as security forces were searching cars at the checkpoint, few hundred meters (yards) from the main base of the African Union mission.

The checkpoint is close to United Nations offices and the Peace Hotel, which is often frequented by foreigners and officials. The powerful blast blew roofs off nearby buildings.

A second blast and heavy gunfire could also be heard at the checkpoint after the attack, but there were no immediate details.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. However, the al-Qaida linked Islamic extremist group al-Shabab often carries out such attacks.

Despite being ousted from most of its key strongholds across large parts of south and central Somalia, the group continues to wage deadly attack across the country.

Somalia's capital has seen frequent bomb attacks at hotels and military checkpoints. The assaults have threatened this Horn of Africa nation's attempts to rebuild from decades of chaos. The country's presidential election, a key step toward recovery, already has been delayed multiple times because of security and other concerns.