10 die in Somalian capital's blast

A car packed with explosives blew up outside a popular restaurant in Somalia's capital Sunday evening, killing at least 10 people, police said.

Fifteen others were wounded in the blast in the heart of Mogadishu, senior Somali police Officer Farhah Aden said.He said the death toll could rise, since many of the victims were seriously injured.

The car was parked at the gate of the Oromo restaurant before it was detonated, Aden said. The hotel is popular with Somalian government officials and is just a few kilometers from the country's parliament compound.

An eyewitness said he saw a ball of smoke rising into the sky after the explosion.

"I was inside the restaurant at the time of the blast," Ibrahim Mohamed said. "I heard a loud sound of an explosion from the gate of the building and went outside, where I saw dead bodies lying on chairs they were sitting down in, using the Internet."

The Al-Shabaab terror group has claimed responsibility for the attack, according to the spokesman for the group, Sheikh Abdiaziz Abu Musab. Last month, the group's leader was killed in an American airstrike.

Intelligence reports at the time indicated the group was planning new attacks after the death of Ahmed Godane.

Courtesy CNN