MOGADISHU, Somalia

At least three people were killed and two others wounded when a suicide bomber blew himself up near Mogadishu municipality headquarters on Tuesday, police said.

The suicide bomber detonated his explosives vest in front of the al-Hindi restaurant a few steps away from the Mogadishu mayor’s office, killing three people, according to a statement issued by the Somali police.

The wounded were rushed to Mogadishu Hospital for treatment.

The police said: “Security forces were chasing the suicide bomber at the time of the explosion.”

Terrorist group al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack and said it had targeted a gathering place of Somali national intelligence agencies personnel. It said the attack had caused casualties without giving further details.

Somalia has been plagued by insecurity for years, with the main threats emanating from al-Shabaab and the Daesh/ISIS terror groups.

Al-Shabaab has ramped up attacks since the Somali president, who was elected for a second term last year, declared an "all-out war" on the group.