8 dead as al-Shabab claims blast in Somalia’s capital

By HASSAN BARISE
Associated Press

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Police said a vehicle laden with explosives rammed into cars and trucks at a checkpoint leading to the entrance of the Presidential Palace, killing at least eight people. The checkpoint is the one used by Somalia’s president and prime minister on their way to and from the airport in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu. A police spokesperson said Saturday that nine other people were wounded in the bombing. The al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab extremist group has claimed responsibility. The group often carries out such attacks in the capital.