By Hassan Istiila and Mohamed Dhaysane

MOGADISHU, Somalia 

At least one soldier was killed on Friday, when a suicide bomber blew himself up at the central prison in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu, a security official said.

“One of our brave soldiers lost his life as he tried to prevent the attack,” said Ahmed Arab, Security Ministry spokesman .

The main target of the attack was Gen. Hussein Hassan Osman, commander of the Custodial Corps -- a police branch which guards prisons, state media reported.

The commander, who was inside the prison at the time of attack, survived the alleged assassination attempt.

Militant group al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack.

It is unclear how the bomber managed to pass through security checks around the prison..